


Survival of the doomed

by Shirohimesstories



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Action/Adventure, Blood and Gore, M/M, Murder, Romance, Scary
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-29
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2018-05-29 23:38:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 120,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6398884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shirohimesstories/pseuds/Shirohimesstories
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Shizaya) Zombie apocalypse. Slowly but surely everyone was falling victim to the virus that escaped the Nebula laboratory- Izaya, however, wasn't going to just give up- and Shizuo neither- all too soon it becomes quite clear that without each other they would be damned. After all... it wasn't only those things that were lurking out there- UPDATES EVERY SECOND SUNDAY</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. ஜ Antidote ஜ

 

 

**_11thDecember2015_ **

**_Research on prehistoric viruses- going too far? TVNewsreport 666_ **

_A new super virus, just recently thawed- escaped from Yagiri Pharmaceuticals and has now started to infect normal citizens of the city. The head of the corporation insists, that there is_ **_no_ ** _need for panic. We have further been told that the virus will die within a few days. Being a threat to humankind, it has been modified by scientists to die within a few days. "Research on these viruses is a necessity for human kind since they could be set free by global warming soon," the head of Yagiri Pharmaceuticals states. Those that got infected are being treated without charge at the central hospital in Shinjuku._

**_23rdDecember2015 Miscalculations? TVNewsreport 666_ **

_The number of infected rises as christmas approaches. By now the numbers far exceed what the scientists of Yagiri permaneutics calculated in their first estimate. Dr. Yagiri Namie´s statement:"I can just repeat what I said before. The virus will die in due time. It´s a laboratory modified strain and it doesn´t have the necessary contents to survive outside the laboratory for too long. Just like all our ameliorated viruses are designed to."_

**_2ndJanuary2015_ ** **_Killer-virus_ ** **_TVNewsreport 666_ **

_The numbers kept increasing despite Yagiri Pharmaceuticals´ continuous reassurances that the virus was harmless and now- the first death. A young student from Raira Acadamy, Kururi Orihara has now died of the virus- the citizens are in an uproar fearing for their loved ones. Yet the scientific unit doesn´t seem to progress any further in this case. Dr. Yagiri Namie issued the following statement. "This is not our virus anymore. It should have decomposed long ago, what we believe now, however, is that it modified itself when it was carried to the outside. This is a very rare if not even impossible occurance for this type of virus. A team of immunologists and virus experts of our own have been researching this new virus and believe that we are now able to treat the amplified virus directly- we are in control. There won´t be any more deaths."_

**_8thJanuary2015 Battle against time TVNewsreport 666_ **

_Professor of medicine, Dr. Kishitani Shingen and a team of six other researchers at Shinjuku identified 396 humans that are infected with what they call now the "Meta-virus." While Dr. Yagiri Namie´s death has shocked us all, Dr. Kishitani is now sure to have found the cure for this disease._

**_12thJanuary2016 Dr. Kishitani- the first to use the antidote TVNewsreport 666_ **

_The pharmacies are being flooded. The antidote has been approved and set free on the market. While typically there should be skepticism about the efficiency and safety of the medicine, especially when being fabricated and set free on the market this soon, Dr. Kishitani Shingen took the first step and injected the antidote himself stating that he was 100% positive that this is the cure._

**_20thJanuary2016_ ** _**Is the antidote working?** _ **_TVNewsreport 666_ **

_A week has passed and most of the symptoms have died down. Currently the only known side effects of the antidote are drowsiness and lack of concentration from the contents. However, a small number of people keep dying. Dr. Kishitani is experiencing the same side effects, but assures the public:"The people that died after taking the antidote- were simply too late. The antidote is a success."_

**_25thJanuary2016 Possible failure? TVNewsreport 666_ **

_Emergency increases have been reported and people that took the antidote are now experiencing fever and palpilations. The doctor himself has been delivered to the hospital as well, but could be stabilized. Speaking from the emergency tract; Dr. Kishitani Shingen is there any possibility of the antidote failing?_

" _The antidote is 100% safe it won´t fail. As I said before. Those that die after taking it were already lost cases before. I repeat:_

 **_There is NO risk_ ** _."_

_._

_._

_._

**27th January 2016**

**-Afternoon. Izaya´s point of view-**

"How come you´re alive, flea?!"

...this was a joke right?

That brute was _not_ going to start a fight now.

Not, in a city where ... these _things_ were running around.

Haha, but oh how fucking wrong was he to think that protozoan had even the slightest streak of intelligence in himself-

This way they would both end up dead!

**-A few hours earlier. Izaya´s point of view-**

Glaring, Izaya stared at the computer screen in front of him.

He knew he had to save battery if he didn´t want to carry around a useless piece of trash, but what was he supposed to do? He had been watching these shitty news reports over-

And over-

And over again.

"No risk my ass-" A hiss was formed in the darkness, and after a harsh clicking sound, the laptop was closed and turned off.

Gnawing- screaming and other disgusting noises were coming from the old metal door, constantly making Izaya´s head snap back to check if it was still holding up-

The world was fucked. Well, maybe not the world, so far only Japan was fucked.

But considering how people were travelling around by planes even though they were infected with the virus, it probably wouldn´t take long until the world was fucked, as well.

Two days.

Two fucking days was all it had taken for Japan to come to an end.

The virus spread faster than anyone had expected. The... _illness_... broke out almost everywhere at once. And then there was just chaos-

Chaos and a lot of unneccessary deaths in the panic that occured.

One would think that people knew from all kinds of horror and zombie movies what to do, but haha-

No one should underestimate a mass panic.

People were running around, heading for safe places, carrying smart weapons around like knives, baseball bats, and even guns. But you see- People driving around with their cars, knocking people over without a care because they just wanted to get to the airport as quickly as they could, or others running around, basically shoving people in front of these... _things_... to survive, slimmed the chance of survival even for these smart exceptions.

It should have never come to this. Never.

Whatever it was that had gone wrong with this virus or whatever it was- it had gone terribly wrong.

The antidote had been a death trap, you could say. Whatever it contained, it made the virus react... evolve or whatever. People started to get a high fever, passed out- Izaya refused to even use the term "zombie" for these things because they did not actually die, no.

Those things were still alive somehow- and deadly infectious.

Izaya was lucky.

He survived... well... so far.

A soft sigh escaped his lips as he stared at the metal door in front of him. It was already bending slightly and he could see from here that it wouldn´t be able to keep them outside for much longer.

If he had to choose between slowly falling asleep- or getting caught by one of… _these_ \- he liked to think he would have preferred the first option, thank you very much.

But now he was here in an empty hall-

People had died, many people that he knew, be it personal or just via the internet, but they were dead nonetheless.

Only for a second Izaya had to think of his former boss. He had been the first Izaya had seen fall victim to this… virus.

He had taken the antidote.

… And he was the first that Izaya had to kill.

**\- Izaya´s point of view. In his apartment. 24th January 2016-**

"You think the antidote works?" Izaya couldn´t really do anything to hide the surprise in his voice.

Really now. Of all people, he hadn´t expected Shiki to be one of the first who took it.

It hadn´t even been really tested. Sure, Shinra´s dad injected _something_ into his arm in front of all those people. But Izaya seriously doubted that he had actually volunteered to become the first guinea pig for this project.

He bet it wasn´t the actual antidote that he had injected himself with.

"I do think so actually. Well the part about the drowsiness is true, but that´s all. Haven´t had a palpilation yet. Lucky me, huh?" Izaya frowned. Well if he had to be honest, then Shiki didn´t particularly look like he was 100% fine right now.

He was pale, and his eyes looked a tad glassy. Not "fine" in his terms.

He hadn´t let that antidote anywhere near his body yet.

Who knew what they had really been experimenting with?

Nebula was, after all, secretly researching things like Celty´s head- a company like that really couldn´t be trusted.

Not that Shiki would know that.

He wasn´t going to let this "cure" near his body anytime soon.

"Well, it´s your body. Let´s just hope you don´t get any palpilations soon, ne~?" He grinned, setting his trademark smirk in place.

"I´m surprised you can keep so calm about this matter. Your sister was the first to lose her life over this, no?" the raven paused, letting his eyes travel over to Shiki who had already fixated him with his stare.

A frown crossed his expression for but a minute. Was he testing him or something? Why would he bring that up now?

"Indeed, she was. I would be intrigued to know why that would be of any interest to you."

A cold glance was thrown at the man in front of him as he nodded to his statement.

"Nevermind, sorry to pry into a delicate topic," Shiki apologized as he put an envelope onto the table.

Izaya look at the dubious letter, raising an eyebrow.

"What is this about? New information or a job?" He reached out to the object, eyeing the envelope as he tore it open.

"Well, actually this concerns… concerns-" The raven blinked at the repetition, and he raised his head.

"What?"

**_BAM_ **

Surprise flashed over the raven´s face as well as the guards.

"Shiki-dono-!"

He had fallen over onto the table- motionless, hard breathing was wracking his body as he lost consciousness.

Almost instantly the raven´s hand shot forward and he felt the man´s pulse.

_Fast-_

A frown carved itself onto his face as he glanced at the two men who were still just standing there, not moving or knowing what to do.

"Oi you, call an ambulance!" he ordered the left one, prying him out of this frozen state. The man nodded, quickly pulling a phone out of his pants´pocket, almost dropping it as he fumbled with it.

"What´s wrong with him?" the other one asked, finally unfreezing himself as he took a step towards his boss.

"I don´t know, but his pulse is really high. That´s probably what caused him to pass out." He frowned as he got up from the couch-

If anything, then this was probably caused by the virus, or even by that antidote.

They said it on the news right? Heart palpilations and fever. Izaya wouldn´t be surprised if those weren´t the only symptoms that could occur.

A normal ambulance probably wouldn´t be able to help the man at all. If anyone, then maybe Shinra.

That was what he thought when he drew one of his phones out of his favourite fur jacket´s pocket.

He knew the doctor had been researching that virus together with his father. Maybe he would know what to do- that´s what he thought as he called the man, his back to the table as he looked out of the apartment´s big window.

But simultainously, that was when he heard _it_. That strangled noise.

That strange sound from behind.

The moment he heard it, he wouldn´t call it instinct- that was something too primitive for his tastes- he just knew it.

He knew there was something going on behind him- something dangerous.

Without any sound, he turned around, the phone still on his ear.

And suddenly- those white eyes stared at him-

A rushing noise started to fill the raven´s ear as he stood there- completely frozen.

Shiki- no. That _thing_ \- was staring right at him.

The two men?

They were dead.

Dead.

It was as obvious as it could get.

Shiki was on the ground, hovering over one of them. Blood decorated his hands and face- the two guards laying on the ground, not moving anymore, as those glassy white eyes stared right at the raven-

Almost without any sound at all, he let his switchblade flick open. Just when it had switched places with the phone was a mystery even to him. The device was laying on the ground next to him, still calling while he stared at the figure in front of him.

Whatever _this_ was, it wasn´t Shiki anymore-

Predatory this… _thing_ , sat there, just staring into Izaya´s direction.

One wrong movement, he knew it, one wrong movement and he would be dead.

And then it moved-

**_BANG_ **

Startled Izaya snapped his head towards the metal door of the warehouse making him snap out of his reverie.

His bangs were sticking to his dirty face and he felt the adrenaline pump through his veins once more- something aking to fear was visible in his eyes for but a second.

The laptop had been put back into his bag already- even if he was almost sure by now that he wouldn´t get any more valuable information from it. The internet had been dead since about yesterday afternoon and the battery was at 53%.

Another loud thud followed, making Izaya´s skin jump-

They were going to come in here.

Now.

Quickly, he shuffled the backpack on and grabbed a stone.

And then the door broke down-

And Izaya-

stood still.

He did not move.

Not a muscle.

He could see the first; he took a step into the warehouse.

Izaya didn´t move.

He didn't make a sound.

Because that was the very first thing he learned.

**-Izaya´s point of view. His apartment. 24th January 2016-**

Frozen, Izaya remained standing in front of the window- not daring to move a muscle.

The knife was pointed at the creature right next to him. But it didn´t seem to notice him at all.

That thing-

Had attacked the phone.

"Izaya? Are you playing some prank on me?" Growling was to be heard as that _thing_ grasped the device between its fingers-

And that´s when he realized it.

Only slowly he started to wave his hand at the thing, but it didn´t react.

_The white eyes…_

It had to do something with them.

How glassy and white they looked.

Shiki- no… _it_ couldn´t see him.

But he would be damned if it couldn´t hear him-

Slowly he took a step away from the creature- quietly. Trying not to make any noise.

It was still sitting on the floor, hissing and growling at the noise making device.

And then Shinra hung up.

Silence.

The raven stopped, freezing in his position. That damn doctor, couldn´t he have rambled some more for once?!

Movement-

And suddenly that thing was staring right at him.

It was staring, it couldn´t see, but it was definitely following Izaya with its eyes-

And that was when Izaya realized it.

Smell.

The thing shot forward from its position on the floor, charging the raven. Izaya didn´t even have any time to react as his heart jumped out of his throat and his eyes widened in fear as he stumbled backwards, over the couch.

Almost instantly the thing was after him-

Hovered over him in but a second-

Izaya tried to pry the bloody face away, but that thing was strong!

He couldn´t push it away-!

Hands were clawing at his jacket and suddenly immense fear welled up in him as he thought about the possibility of this thing being contagnious-

His hand shot forward, and he rammed the knife inside the man´s skull before he could even think about what he was doing-

Easily, the knife slid through the slick glassy eye of the monster and pierced the man´s brain from inside- A scream tore from the man´s lips-

Blood splattered across the ground, and Izaya squeezed his eyes shut as he turned his head away, avoiding getting too much of it into his face.

One twist, and another, it screamed- it tried to get the knife out, blood splattered all over until it finally stilled.

Finally.

Shaking, the raven looked at the dead creature-

It was dead-

He could see the hole in the place where Shiki´s left eyes was supposed to be; he could see the knife sticking inside.

Disgusted he pulled his flickblade out of the skull-

But that was a mistake; the second he removed it more blood flowed out of the head and spread over the floor, the eye´s halves hanging around loosely, a piece of the brain hanging from the eyesocket-

The knife dropped from his palm.

Nausea welled up inside the raven as he shoved the thing away and scrambled to his feet-

But that´s when he saw the guards up close.

Their stomachs were opened, bleeding, the insides laying next to them on the floor- the smell…-

God the smell-

It was too much.

With a retching sound, Izaya let himself slump down to the ground, barely grabbing the dustbin that was under his table in time before he convulsed, returning the meal he had taken in earlier-

That. Was the first time he had to kill one of them.

**-Warehouse. 27thJanuary. Izaya´s point of view.-**

Quiet.

His heart was pounding relentlessly against his chest.

Despite having faced them so many times his heart still wouldn´t calm down whenever he encountered these… _things_.

They didn´t see him. He knew that much.

They also wouldn´t be able to smell him now. He was dirty enough to cover up any smell that would give him away as a living human being.

But- if they got any closer, they would touch him.

They attacked warmth without any hesitation.

As if they knew they had found prey they would attack anything that wasn´t as cold as themselves.

He had seen it.

A poor man.

He was keeping quiet- he had seemed as if he had noticed that they were blind, too- and Izaya really thought he would survive when one of those _things_ approached him.

But once it touched him-

Nausea welled up in Izaya once more as he thought about it-

His guts were ripped out so fast the man was able to see his own insides before he died-

He had to get out of here.

Now.

As quiet as he could, he lifted his arm and-

**_BANG_ **

The stone he had picked up crashed into the window on the other side on the hall.

Incoherent babbling and noises were to be heard as the creatures turned their heads around, walking towards the source of noise.

Cautiously, he made a single step forward.

Under no circumstances could he make a mistake now- He knew his steps wouldn´t be able to be heard by them- but his backpack was what was worrying him slightly.

While he had pulled socks over the outside of his shoes to swallow any sound that they could emit with each step, the contents of his backpack weren´t all that quiet. One wrong move and one of his several knifes could bump against the laptop- making it emit a clicking sound.

Really now. Why had he come here again?

Right- to find people.

It was the first thing Izaya did after he left his apartment. Things started to get worse faster and faster and he knew the possibility of surviving would rise once he had some valuable and possibly useful companions. But so far everyone he had met was either dead, or one of these _things_.

Quietly, he moved away from the hall. He had managed to get outside.

The creatures where still in there, trying to find the source of the noise.

And then he ran, ran as fast as he could- staying there for too long would be his death. Those things were way too numerous. Killing one would result in it screetching and calling way too many others to the spot.

And the worst thing was, they were fast. Not faster than an average human, but they sure weren´t just walking around in slow motion.

Making noises, they were mostly wandering around in groups, and they attracted each other.

If he stayed anywhere near that place, he woud find himself surrounded by more of these things than he could ever defeat or flee from.

And so he ran panting through the streets of Ikebukuro.

Yes, Ikebukuro. Shinjuku was already a dead place. He had looked around as much as it was safe to do, but the only people he met had already turned into one of these things.

Shinra, that was his only hope since he had arrived here, but that doc was either one of them or had run away.

At least his apartment was empty and Celty was gone.

What more?

Izaya nearly stumbled over a flight of stairs as he ran up the street.

He was exhausted.

Since this whole thing had started, he hadn´t slept even once.

How?

There was no-one. He hadn´t met a single soul that hadn´t been bitten or turned by these things already.

Not to mention trust.

Who could he actually trust not to murder him in his sleep?

Izaya was tired. The last time he slept had been around 3 days ago. Sure, he was used to pulling all nighters, but pulling all nighters while exerting himself to this extent was something he couldn´t keep up for too long.

Panting, he came to a halt on the middle of a sunlit street.

For once, he was alone.

His eyes darted around, scanning every alley that led to this street, scanning every broken store window for movement.

But no, this time he seemed to be lucky for once.

For once.

That was what he thought until he appeared.

Who?

Shizu-chan.

It took but a second for Izaya to recognize who the blond guy was that stepped onto the empty road.

Just a second more for the guy to notice him.

A second to realize that Shizu-chan hadn´t turned into one of those things, that he was indeed still human.

And just the blink of an eye before Izaya realized that this was the worst that could have ever happened to him-

"How come you are alive flea?!" The blond growled these words in a way that made it easy for Izaya to guess what his mood was like right now.

Anger.

...this was a joke right? This was a fucking joke-

That brute was _not_ going to start a fight now.

To be honest, even though Izaya called him a protozoan all the time, he did know that Shizu-chan had at least slight scrapes of intelligence inside his head.

That was what he thought.

Was.

His eyes darted around almost instantly as the brute raised his voice, and he took a few steps backwards.

"Shizu-chan shut the fuck up-" It wasn´t the usual tone Izaya used to communicate with others, but he couldn´t even bring himself to give a damn about his way of speaking at the moment.

This fucking stupid brute had just basically given away their position to all the meateating infectious creatures that now populated the city-!

"Why are you alive? Why _you_?!" Izaya frowned as he glanced at the brute once more.

He looked like shit. To be honest, Izaya was surprised that idiotic protozoan hadn´t been infected yet.

A miracle.

Then again, maybe he was- how would he know?

He was covered in blood from head to toe, dirt was sticking to his entire frame, and he didn´t look like he got a wink of sleep the past nights either.

To be honest- he looked like shit.

The raven frowned, he had asked why he was alive, didn´t he?

Hah, Izaya could ask the same. Why was Shizu-chan alive but someone useful like Yagiri Namie was dead?

A frown crossed his face as he eyed the blond.

He was the first human he had met that hadn´t been bitten by one of these things yet.

"Well, sorry I´m not Kasuka or someone else- Go search for them or something if you want to see them so bad. I´m not interested in dying today just because fo your stupidity Shizu-chan," he hissed. So far, no one had entered the street except for them. There was no creature.. yet.

"Why the hell are you still alive?" The blond´s voice had tuned down a bit, making the raven frown once more.

Why was he so hung up on the fact that he was alive?

"Shizu-chan, just saying, if you want to start one of your stupid fights now, then I would like to ask you to reconsider that. I don´t know if you noticed, but some things have changed." He wasn´t going to deal with a fight right now that would lead to his definite death.

"Tch, why the hell are _you_ still alive Izaya?!" the same sentence again- Izaya was getting irritated by this-

But that´s when he heard it.

Almost instantly, he snapped his head around as the flickblade found its way into his hand again.

And then he saw them- those things.

He had been stupid- the moment Shizuo raised his voice, he should have made a run for it.

He should have just fucking run away.

One after the other, they suddenly appeared.

They came from the alleys, from the closed shops, from behind destroyed buildings-

From everywhere-

Izaya snapped his head around, but it was too late to run.

Too fucking late; they were coming from everywhere.

Izaya knew they knew his position already; he had been stupid enough to reply to the blond before.

He just knew it.

He had to fight.

Without wasting another second he approached the creature that was closest to him and stabbed it in the eye- a screetch tore from its throat, so loud Izaya wished he could have made it stop somehow.

He was fucking done for.

He turned around, facing another who was running towards him.

But he knew it was useless, he might as well give up already.

That thing had screetched, and so did the second and the third and the fourth.

He could hear them coming, he could see them coming- in more and more numbers from the alleys.

They were too many- panting he tried to get them. One after the other got killed by his flickblade sinking into its skull.

He tried to keep at least those that were closest to him at bay, trying to just survive somehow- but he was at his end.

They were only getting more and more.

It was useless. He was going to die-

He didn´t want that!

Fear started to well up inside him and adrenaline pumped through his veins as he fought the gnawing creatures off-

But they were coming from all sides, they were attacking simultanously from behind from the side, and the front-

And that was when he spotted the blond for just a second.

Struggling.

He was bashing their heads in. One after the other as those things tried to get him.

But he wasn´t doing any better.

They were too many.

Even for him.

And that was when their eyes met.

"Tch-"

A glance was exchanged, shorter than a second, but it conveyed a clear message-

Only a few steps were needed- a few creatures in their way as they hurried towards each other.

And then they turned their backs to each other, brushing just slightly-

Facing those things together.

This wasn´t about hating the other anymore- this was about surviving this fucking situation.

**C: Yayayayayaya, ending here for now~ x3**

**Happy late Easter xD hehe, I hope chu like this so far~ Also that Shizuo appeared so soon *^* I considered letting them run around separately for a while and get some experience and stuff, but then again, having them together like this for now should be more interesting hehe~ ;3**

**See chu on sunday~! xD**


	2. ஜ Why Izaya? Protect ஜ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! ()/~
> 
> Welcome to chapter 2-! *0* xD Hehe I bet you are curious how this will continue, well-
> 
> I am too xDDD I don´t have to many ideas cuz I´m usually a scaredy cat to be honest- I have never actually watched any zombie movies except as I mentioned the walking dead and I only saw a few episodes xDDD So if you happen to have an idea about how I could continue ths story or anything that you would really like to see happen in a zombie story, shoot it xDD
> 
> Thank chu my friendy for betaing this chappy cx xD
> 
> Well then, I hope you enjoy this as much as I do xD
> 
> Enjoy~! ()/~

  


**-Izaya´s point of view-**

Gnawing with their disgusting rotten faces they tried to get close to Izaya.

They were too many, way too many.

Even with Shizuo at his back.

That brute was struggling and he knew it, _normal humans_ he would just grab and throw away, with _normal humans_ he wouldn´t take so long.

But those weren´t normal people, those were highly infectious piles of rotten flesh.

A glance over the shoulder let his pessimistic view on the situation grow even worse.

The blond wasn´t fighting as recklessly as usual. It was obvious. He was taking way too much time. He waited for those things to be close enough to bash their heads in sidewise, he didn´t hit them face on.

Of course. After all, if he accidentally bashed in one of those creatures faces and ended up scratching himself by its teeth then it would be game over.

If one approached him from the side, he would shove it away on its stomach first, to avoid any contact.

Another already charged from the other direction.

Shizuo kicked its legs away and threw it into the mass of rotten bodies, knocking three over in the process.

But there were so many more than just three.

They were fucking surrounded.

If it continued like this they were going to die.

There was only one thing that Izaya appreciated about these creatures.

They seemed to have a sort of intelligence in themselves.

Normally this would be a bad thing, but right now it was good.

Every single one of these fucking bastards screeched when it got killed; made a sound so it would attract others for sure.

But after hearing more and more of those screams they started to slow down, as if they had realized that they wouldn´t be able to get their prey one at a time.

They didn´t attack randomly anymore. Instead they were gathering and surrounding them in a predatory manner.

Izaya panted as his eyes flew around. They just stood there growling. More and more of the beasts joining the group.

They were too many. Way too many.

He hadn´t even realized he was swaying until he felt himself softly bump into Shizuo´s back.

Annoyed by his exhaustion, he tried to straighten himself right away. But he was just too damn tired.

He didn´t know if Shizu-chan actually didn't realize, or if he let the informant lean on him on purpose.

He wasn´t going to complain about either right now.

"What´s your plan?" Something akin to a sour smile spread over the raven´s lips.

For once the sentence actually implied something different than all the other thousand times he heard it.

He tilted his head. Left and right.

They were fucked.

There wasn´t a single thing within their reach that he could have made Shizu-chan pick up and throw at those monsters.

If there was at least a light pole or something, then the debt-collector could hit them away with it like baseballs.

But like this?

They were in the middle of the street, surrounded by buildings. There was literally nothing they could use, and no way to escape.

_A plan, huh?_

One of the gnawing creatures tried to bite his arm. Just in time he dodged and stabbed its left eye, leaving it to slump on the floor.

And that´s when he realized, that they were gonna die.

This was it, right?

The end. Finito. конец. Ende.

He couldn´t believe he was going to die because of that stupid protozoan.

At first it was silent.

A quiet chuckle in this air that was only filled with groaning noises.

But soon it transformed more and more into straight out laughter.

"Oi, Flea, now is not the time to go insane." the blond behind him growled, making him almost imagine how he had his brows furrowed in annoyance.

_Ah... Shizu-chan, so naive._

"You really think I have a plan for everything don´t you?" He asked, throwing the last knife he had into one of the zombies skulls, an instant scream reaching his ears before it fell to the dirty ground.

"So you don´t?"

Heh.

He was surprised by the tranquility of Shizu-chan's voice.

There was no doubt in it, just a sort of tone that made him think that maybe the brute had only yelled so loud before because he had given up on surviving anyway.

Fucking great.

The ride down to hell was now booked for two, thanks to the brute.

Shizu-chan was just too stupid. Almost as stupid as those creatures.

Izaya had thought of something. It wasn´t like he was going to continue living on a planet that was doomed for sure. He did have an actual plan.

And now?

Just for a second he remembered how he had led those things away from himself in the warehouse before.

He had survived just fine on his own.

Suddenly his eyes widened.

"I have one." he suddenly straightened himself, adrenaline filling his veins once more at the prospect of surviving, as he fixated the building in front of them.

It wasn´t too huge, just a normal building but it would be their escape plan.

"Shoot it." the blond replied instantly.

"Shoot me!" The creatures were already starting to approach them. They had decided they had gathered enough of their fellows to attack them.

Now or never!

"What?" The confusion in Shizu-chan´s voice was obvious, but they had to act quick-

"Now is not the time to be stupid, Shizu-chan! Shoot me up this building!" He yelled, pointing towards the house; the zombies were starting to move faster, their arms reaching for the two, finally closing in on them.

The blond looked up, seeing the building. A furious glare was directed at the stupid beast as he just kept staring up at the house.

"SHIZU-CHAN!" the raven barked, and suddenly the blond unfroze a frown on his face and he turned to the raven.

"Tch, fuck it," he swore, grabbing the flea by his coat, the fabric tightened and for a moment Izaya wheezed as it constricted around his neck, rendering him unable to breathe properly.

The blond took one, two, three turns, rotating around his axis before throwing the raven towards the building.

Izaya only had a second to close his eyes before pain hit his frame.

_**CRASH** _

Shards fell to the floor and the raven´s body slammed against a cupboard near the window frame. Books fell down on top of him and his eyes squeezed shut in as a pained hiss escaped his lips.

He didn't see that window coming. That fucking brute was supposed to throw him on top of the building, not through a fucking window!

But he had no time to complain.

Almost instantly he shot up from the floor, barely noticing the shards that were stuck in his arm and thigh as he quickly shuffled to the window.

The blonde was still standing down there, the creatures closing in on him.

One deep breath of air was all he needed.

"HEY YOU FREAKING BASTARDS, I´M HERE!"

Shizuo blinked as the voice reached his ears and his sight trailed back up into the direction he had thrown Izaya in.

The raven was standing there, yelling out of the crashed window.

The first thought that struck Shizuo was that he had gone insane.

What the hell was he yelling for?

But then he noticed it.

Something he hadn´t realized so far.

His eyes widened as the creatures stopped and twisted their head into Izaya's direction.

At first he thought those things where just checking where the sound was coming from and would continue gathering up on him in a second.

He hadn´t seen these them up close like this so far.

When he was with Kasuka and his girlfriend he has had the chance to, yeah.

But it was never quiet enough.

Those things... didn´t seem to notice he was there anymore.

"OI!" the raven kept yelling, and the more he did, the more of those walkers turned around.

Until they headed in Izaya´s direction. They didn´t seem to notice he was here anymore.

Staying still the blond remained in his position, just staring at the flea above.

His eyes widened slightly, as the creatures started to move away from him.

Didn´t they see he was still there? Why were they so keen on getting Izaya?

And that´s when the fact hit him hard.

Those things were blind.

With even constant steps they approached the building, while Shizuo could do nothing but stare.

_No way..._

He felt like someone had thrown him into ice cold water.

How?

How hadn´t he realized this sooner?

They were fucking blind!

Izaya kept standing in the window, yelling as loud as he could. It was creepy. From that high up he could see pretty far.

Down the street and in the alleys surrounding the blonde, there were so many of them.

Hell... he knew they were in Japan, he knew how many people exactly lived here, but the amount of them... he hadn´t imagined it like this.

He involuntarily shivered as cold sweat ran down his back.

The gnawing noises everywhere... he wanted to get out of here.

He waited, kept yelling, just for a bit longer.

He wanted to get away.

It wasn´t until the last creature had passed Shizuo and had actually slowly backed away towards the wall of a building that Izaya stopped the screams.

With a swift motion Shizuo was up on the little store´s roof.

And then Izaya was running.

If he was especially glad of having any of his abilities, then it was parkour.

Not his brain, not his social skills or anything else. Parkour.

Because with this he could get anywhere he wanted.

Running, jumping, dangling from roof to roof he ran down the street. Quiet.

Away from the group of flesh eating creatures, away from those bastards.

His lungs burned, but he didn´t stop.

The thought that those creatures could still be after him was sending shivers down his spine, even though he knew how ridiculous it was.

He was so concentrated on running away from these things, he didn´t even notice how the blond was following him.

Watching out to not attract any attention he followed the informant as quick as he could, doing the same as he always did.

Chasing the flea.

It had a sense of familiarity and normality to him as he ran through Ikebukuro, wind brushing through his hair as he followed that louse.

It was odd.

But in a sense he wished everything would revert to the way it was.

Izaya could turn up every few days and drop by to annoy him, he wouldn´t even mind.

Hell he would prefer having that louse pester him the entire day if this were...

...

He could have saved them.

The thought was weighing a ton on his chest.

He could have avoided their deaths.

But he was too stupid.

Too stupid to realize, too stupid to see... that he wasn´t that monster that he would have liked to really be at that moment.

It destroyed him from the inside.

His gaze was still fixated on Izaya who was running on top of the roof on the other side of the street.

He didn´t seem to realize he was Shizuo was following him.

Panting he dashed after the louse.

For a second he took a breath of air, intending to yell Izaya´s name, to ask him to wait, but just in the nick of time he kept his mouth shut.

The chase didn´t take much longer though.

One last jump carried the raven over to the roof of a small convenience store, slumping down on the edge of the building.

Panting he let himself fall on his back to look at the grey sky above them.

He was exhausted. He couldn´t keep this up for much longer.

Being on alert 24/7, always running, never sleeping, fighting. He couldn´t keep going like this.

His eyebrows furrowed as he thought about how he was going to continue.

_**THUD** _

Instantly the raven shot back up, and his eyes darted to the edge of the roof.

His hand was already inside his coat´s pocket, only to realize that he had no knives left.

His heart was pumping loudly in his chest and he could hear blood rush to his ears, as he heard something move up the wall.

It was only when he spotted a blond blotch of hair, that he realized who the fuck it was that was actually climbing up here.

It was Shizu-chan.

With a relieved sigh he let himself slump back to the ground. Sure, Shizu-chan wasn´t exactly someone who he was glad to see, but at least now he figured that not even the brute would start any fights because he was in Ikebukuro.

"Freaking zombies." he mumbled, taking notice how the debt collector let himself slump down next to him on the roof.

He hated to admit it, but having someone next to him who wasn´t a flesh eating brainless creature, was kind of comforting.

It had been a while since he had actually seen someone normal.

Well as normal as Shizu-chan could be.

"So, they can´t see?" the raven blinked, having heard the questioning phrase.

Wow.

"I can´t believe you survived so long without realizing that," he mumbled, still watching the brute with a rather surprised expression.

The blond didn´t answer though. Instead he let his hand slide into his pant´s pocket, he drew out a cigarette package. Upon opening it, Izaya noticed that it was the last one he had.

"I owe you."

The raven blinked "What?"

"You didn´t have to scream, you could have very well just watched," the blonde continued, lighting his cigarette with the lighter he pulled out of his other pocket.

The raven snorted.

"Don´t flatter yourself Shizu-chan. I couldn´t care less about whether you are dead or alive," he clarified, earning a confused glance from the male. "It was just self defense. If you turned into one of these things no one would be able to defeat you. The ultimate monster, ne?"

... that made sense.

"I still owe you," Shizuo insisted. It was a fact that Izaya had saved his life, no matter why he did it. The raven glared at the blonde and got up from his sitting position.

"Whatever," he mumbled, stepping at the ledge of the building. He didn´t really want to converse with that brute any longer

"Where are you going?" The question made the raven pause in his movement and he looked over his shoulder. Shizuo had gotten up, as if ready to follow him.

"Strolling around, searching for certain things. You can go and yell a bit more so you don´t get bored," Izaya replied sarcastic, still wondering why the brute was even asking.

"Certain things? You mean like food?" Shizu-chan asked, blowing some of the smoke away.

"That and more that you don´t need to know," the raven shrugged, turning around to scan the area. It seemed like they were alone here.

There wasn´t a single one of those creatures in view. They probably all headed to the street up ahead.

He was about to jump off the roof when Shizu-chan´s voice reached him once more.

"Izaya, wait a second."

He blinked, then turned around to face the brute with a glare.

"Shizu-chan, just saying, if you request a fucking fight or something then I will have to disappoint you." He was tired, and exhausted and Shizu-chan seriously started to piss him off even more than usual.

"That´s not it," Shizuo replied fairly quick. This wasn´t what he was trying to say. He took another breath of the smoke from his cigarette before speaking again. He already knew how the flea would react.

"We should stay together."

...

Silence dominated the air for a second as Izaya stared at the blonde as if he just said the most ridiculous thing in the world.

"Excuse me, I think I heard you wrong. Did you seriously just say we should stay together? Like, you, the stupid yelling protozoan, and me?"

If Shizu-chan weren´t Shizu-chan but someone else, someone with more brains and not that one person Izaya hated most on this planet, then the request would actually have been understandable.

But like this?

"I won´t yell." he threw in. Now that he knew that those things were blind he wouldn´t attract them anymore like this. Something akin to a small laugh escaped the raven´s lips at that response.

"I doubt it. You are an idiotic brute that doesn´t think about consequences Shizu-chan." Shizuo frowned at the insult and he clenched his fists.

He had to remain calm, beating up Izaya wouldn´t help him.

"It would be easier for you," he retorted instead, causing the flea to glare at him again.

"Easier? What are you trying to imply? That I can´t survive alone?" he spat.

"Tch," that wasn´t what he intended to say, but okay, "Forget it, it was a stupid idea."

There was no way for either of them to actually work together without ending up killing each other anyway.

The raven hummed, watching the blond as he sat down on the floor again.

"Ne, why is Shizu-chan so obsessed with staying together now, even though before you were obviously annoyed that I'm still alive?"

He had looked like he had been seriously offended by that. So, what the hell?

"It doesn´t make sense. You know."

On the other hand…

Maybe Shizu-chan´s idea wasn´t all that bad.

He had no knives for now. And if there were many of these bastards at once, Shizu-chan was the perfect watchdog for him.

He could use that brutish strength of his for his own advantage.

Also, he might be the only one left. He had been looking around in Ikebukuro for a while and the only people he had met, were about to turn into those monsters.

If Shizu-chan ended up being turned, it would mean more than just trouble. He even considered the possibility that Shizu-chan might be coming after him even in his death.

...

"I´m going where I want to go. If you follow me or not is up to you." The blond blinked as those words reached his ears.

"Wait what?" The raven rolled his eyes in annoyance, looking back at the brute once more.

"Sometimes I really do wonder if you have a brain, Shizu-chan."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of chapter 2 C:
> 
> See you next Sunday~! ()/~


	3. ஜ Hospital. The flea has a plan? ஜ

 

**-Shizuo´s point of view-**

Shizuo frowned at the remark, of course he had understood what the flea meant.

"Why are you changing your mind now?" he asked, watching the raven as he started to climb down the convenience store´s wall. The gutter running down the side of the building screeched slightly as the louse leaned on it, making the blond frown.

But the flea didn't seem to mind as he answered. "To lessen the probability of my death being caused by a zombie version of you, I guess," and with that, he jumped down the last bit of the wall.

The convenience store was already... well, "opened", if you wanted to look at it that way.

The windows were smashed in, and it was quite easy to enter. The flea cautiously crawled over the broken shards of the window and inspected the building.

So far, it seemed to be empty. No gnawing noises, no rustling or suspicious movement in the far back corner of the store- none of these things.

A hard thud, not quite as gracefully as his descent, told him that Shizuo was indeed following him. The blond stepped into the shop shortly after. Emerging into the darkness, he let his eyes dart around warily.

"Don´t worry, they aren´t in here," the flea informed Shizuo, starting to stroll over to one of the shelves, looking for necessities and whatnot.

The blond didn´t seem to actually be convinced yet and strolled towards the shelves, inspecting the rows for himself.

The informant wasn´t all that interested in the brute´s movement- something else had caught his attention. Something silver and pretty neat looking. Grinning, he approached a shelf that held knives and other blades- they were actually supposed to be used by fishermen or cooks, but the flea would need them for something else entirely.

He dropped the bag that he had been carrying to the floor and pulled out what was still in there- first aid stuff, things like a rope and a bottle of water, a notebook that he wasn´t willing to leave behind, and his laptop, of course. He looked at it for a minute, pondering if he should even still keep it with him or leave it here.

It was just going to be useless weight without any way of charging it- and in the middle of a city where all that counted was to survive, a laptop wouldn´t help him a lot, except if he threw it in one of those creature´s faces.

Without wasting another thought on the matter, he dropped the device on the floor. It wasn´t like re-watching the scenes of the past month any longer would change anything or make it better. Any crucial information that he had gathered was in his mind or put down in his notebook, after all.

Glancing over his shoulder, he looked towards the blond- he already had his hands full with things that Izaya would not particularly describe as practical.

Food- that was all the brute had seemed to gather. The raven rolled his eyes, but didn´t say anything about it- it wasn´t like he wanted to start a fight with the blond now, anyway.

And in all honesty, he really couldn´t care less about what that protozoan did.

"We are going to the hospital," he announced, stuffing the knives in his backpack calmly as he watched Shizuo approaching him. The blond seemed to be not exactly amused, as his brows furrowed.

"We're going where?!" Izaya frowned in annoyance as he heard the shout, before turning around swiftly-

"Keep your voice down-" he hissed. Guilt nagged at Shizuo as he looked around quickly.

He had had enough of these flesh-eating creatures for now, as well.

Clearing his throat, he spoke again, more softly this time, as he scanned the area once more.

"What the hell do you want at the hospital?" he asked, the frown neatly in place as he watched the raven calmly fill his bag.

"I have my reasons," he stated, looking the blond straight in the eye. "Also," he continued, "I remember I said whether you follow me or not is your own decision. You are not in any position to try and change my mind."

Shizuo frowned, stuffing his hands into his pockets as Izaya finished filling his backpack, but didn´t say anything in reply.

Izaya could hear him mutter something under his breath, but he chose to ignore whatever it was.

He had his reasons for going to the hospital- sure, in movies about zombies or shit, that was usually not exactly the best place to go, since the apocalypse usually started there.

People turning to zombies and shit.

But their situation wasn´t exactly like that, after all- all the patients that had really turned into one of these things were either gone from there by now- lured outside by the noises of the city and the panicking people- or dead because of other people entering the hospital before them and killing them off.

For Izaya there were only these two options.

"What kind of fucked up plan is that, even?" The raven blinked as the words reached his ears. He didn´t expect the blond to still not drop the topic.

"My plan," he replied simply, shrugging. It wasn´t like he had to explain anything he was doing to Shizuo.

He had survived very well on his own so far- he didn´t exactly need Shizu-chan, so if he ran off to somewhere else, it wouldn´t bother him.

Hissing slightly, he sat down on one of the shelves.

Shards of glass from Shizuo´s magnificent throw before were still sticking in his leg. He was tempted to bring that topic up and once again announce how downright stupid the amoeba was- but he decided to leave it as long as he wasn´t in a situation where he could actually run away from him and not get surrounded by those things because of the brute.

One after the other, he pulled bits of window out of his leg, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. At least they weren´t deep, but the sting was annoying.

"What do you even want to do there?" Glancing up for a second, Izaya glared at the blond, before lifting his shirt slightly- wincing as he noticed that some of the shards were sticking in his side. Rather annoyed, he started to tug the little shits out while answering.

"I need to get some things, if you absolutely need to know." One two three- he rolled his shoulder, and moved his arms to check for more stinging that would give away the position of other shards-

Satisfied the raven noted that he had gotten rid of them.

"Like proper stuff to fix wounds and shit?" Seriously- Shizu-chan was getting annoying.

"Shizu-chan, if you are just going to complain, then you can leave right now," the raven remarked, ignoring the brute´s question completely as he shouldered his bag. It was quite heavy, considering there were only weapons in it, but they could come in handy, if not even be life-saving, so he didn´t mind.

The blond finally shut up after the raven had made it clear that he wasn´t going to tell the brute whatever he wanted to know.

Izaya was just about to walk out of the convenience store again when something silver caught his attention-

Almost immediately, the raven was in a good mood again as he spotted something all too familiar.

"Ah, look what we have here~", he grinned as he bent over, lifting a rather large glass shard off the floor, the silver object resting underneath it.

Grinning, he flipped the cool blade open.

It was a flick blade.

Given the position it was laying in, Izaya guessed that someone had thrown it against the window, breaking the glass.

He suspected someone had been aiming at a zombie in front of the store and not been exactly good at aiming correctly.

A little disturbed, Izaya scanned the floor.

He hadn´t really been paying much attention to it so far, but there was quite an amount of blood on the ground...

Given that the flick blade wasn´t recovered and there was no dead zombie body anywhere, the only logical conclusion was that the only remains of the person who had thrown the blade was the blood puddle on the floor.

Feeling his stomach do a little back flip at the image of these creatures erasing that human´s existence, he quickly averted his gaze, looking at his new weapon instead.

It looked pretty much exactly like the flick blade he had had when he was in Raira, the handle silver and neat. It had been one of his favorites.

Sudden movement next to him startled him just slightly, before noticing that it was the brute´s arm that had invaded his sight.

He was still carrying his sweets and now held them out to Izaya.

The raven quirked an eyebrow at the gesture.

"What, you expect me to take that? I´m not going to carry your stuff." The blond frowned in response.

"Then give me the bag," he suggested, holding out his free hand now. But the raven shook his head, stepping out of the store.

"No, thank you. It´s better if we keep our stuff separated. Backpacks are over there, you can get whatever you'd like," he said, pointing to the far back of the store. The brute raised an eyebrow, a tad annoyed.

"What for?" After all, he could just carry Izaya´s bag. It would mean less trouble for him wouldn´t it?

"If we separate, I don´t want you taking my stuff and running away." The raven smirked as he shoved the flick blade into his coat´s pocket.

For a second, he thought Shizuo was going to complain again or something, but the brute seemed to get what Izaya meant as the frown on his forehead disappeared.

It made sense, didn´t it?

In an environment like this, it was crucial to be able to make quick decisions. And if they ended up being in one of those, there would be no time left for them to separate their things and for each to go their own way peacefully.

Moreover- who knew if they were even going to part peacefully?

With Shizu-chan being Shizu-chan and Izaya being Izaya, they were bound to get into a huge fight that would make them split up again.

It was just a matter of time.

"'Kay." The raven nodded approvingly at the blond´s reply as he watched him go to the back of the store.

Really now though, all that Shizuo packed were either sweets, like chocolate bars and toffees, or other sweet snacks like donuts, muffins, sweet bread- things that surely would keep him from starving t death, but healthy? Nah.

That brute was going to die of scurvy if he just ate things like that from now on.

Shizuo glared slightly as he noticed that the raven was watching him.

"Got a problem?" he asked, a tad annoyed by the smirk on Izaya´s face as he kept watching. But he just shrugged in response.

"Not really. Are you done?" A nod was given and Izaya took a few steps away from the store- and away from the bloody mess on the ground.

He let his eyes dart around the street once more- it was around 6pm, the sun was still up.

By nightfall they should get somewhere safe if possible. Also, he had a certain destination that he had wanted to start moving towards by today.

As soon as he deemed the street was clear of any creatures, he started walking down the road, searching.

He could hear the brute follow as the shards on the floor cracked beneath his shoes.

Sooner or later, he would tell the blond to pull some socks over them. For now, that was irrelevant, though. They were going to make quite the noise soon enough.

Smiling, he approached an empty car lot.

Well, not exactly empty- the cars were still in there, just the people they belonged to were missing.

He had spotted a red cabriolet in the front row. The roof had been stretched over the car, closing it completely.

A soft whistle resounded from his newfound partner as he looked at the vehicle.

Obviously, it was to his liking. The raven smirked.

"You like that one, too?" Shizuo nodded, shoving his right hand into his pocket- only to realize he had no cigarettes left. He frowned; he was craving a smoke. Not particularly because he needed it, but smoking had something soothing and calming to it that the blond really liked.

A sudden loud crash startled the debt collector, and he swiftly turned his head towards the source of the noise.

A glare was directed at the flea standing next to the vehicle with a stone in his right hand.

"What the fuck, Izaya?! That´s not even your car!"

He had smashed in one of the triangular little windows in the front of the car and was now reaching inside to open the driver´s door.

"What? Want me to ask the owner?" he asked with one eyebrow raised rather amused by the brute´s outburst.

The blond closed his mouth again, passing on saying what he had been about to as he thought about what the raven had said.

Izaya was right... After all, there was no saying whether the guy this car belonged to was even still alive... Or would need that car.

He watched Izaya as he slipped under the steering wheel, cutting something open there- Shizuo was wondering what he was doing, until he heard the engine of the car roar.

Surprised, he looked at the flea, who was now leisurely slipping into the driver´s seat.

"You started it?" The raven grinned.

"Obviously, I did." Shady flea.

"How do you even know how to do that?" he asked, only to earn a slight chuckle from the louse.

"Please, Shizu-chan, hotwiring a car is not rocket science. I think even you could do it, assuming you didn´t lose patience and ruin the car first." Shizuo graciously ignored that comment about his assumed stupidity.

"And why are you the one driving?" Shizuo wasn´t particularly elated about Izaya wanting to drive. And as if the raven knew what the blond was thinking about, he put on his best smirk.

"I doubt you would drive like me, Shizu-chan," he cooed, making the blond´s suspicion rise even further.

"What´s that supposed to mean?" Getting slightly annoyed, Izaya rolled his eyes.

"Shizu-chan, get into the car or I will leave you here," he set an ultimatum and let the engine roar a bit as he spotted a pair of those creatures entering the hall-

Shizuo saw them, too, and clicked his tongue before finally getting into the car- he wasn´t particularly keen on being left to fight with these creatures yet again. Between those creatures and Izaya, he would much prefer Izaya.

The door slammed shut and the raven grinned- and then he started-

_**BAM** _

The blond barely managed to hold onto the door´s handle before he slammed into the dashboard as the raven blasted off- the tachometer instantly going up as the wheel screeched along the street-

"What the fuck, Izaya?!" Shizuo barked- but Izaya just laughed as he pulled the car onto the street.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued- xD
> 
> Yayayayaya, Izaya loves driving like a dick xDDDD But hey, who would be left to complain? -except Shizuo- xD
> 
> Ahhh next chappy is gonna be a sweet little thing~ xD This fic is going to turn out to be way sweeter than you may expect from a zombie story xDD But of course I won´t completely forget about those shits~ Don´t you worry~ ;3 They will barge into the plot at the most unexpected moments hehehehe
> 
> Oh well, I hope you liked this chappy cx See you on sunday~! *0*0*0*
> 
> Enjoy~! (ﾉಠヮಠ)ﾉ:･ﾟ.*


	4. ஜ On the way. ஜ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey~! (ﾉಠヮಠ)ﾉ:･ﾟ*
> 
> Welcome to chapter 4 *^* xD This time a slight bit longer than usual hehe cx
> 
> But sadly not corrected yet- I didn´t want to keep you waiting though, and I don't make toooo many mistakes xD soooo- here you go xD I will replace the corrected version with this one once my beta is done ;3
> 
> So if you would rather wait, you can xD
> 
> If not, then enjoy~! xD
> 
> (ﾉಠヮಠ)ﾉ:･ﾟ.*

**-Shizuo´s point of view-**

"They will hear us, drive slower!" The blond barked, pretty much nullifying his own argument as his own loudness would attract them too. The raven didn´t even seem to care in the slightest bit though.

"Oh, come on Shizu-chan, they are way too slow to follow us. Besides, I´m driving to Shirokanetakanawa, I doubt they will be able to follow us all the way." He quirked an eyebrow at the blond indicating the hilariousness of the brute´s arguments but he still seemed to be stuck on his wish of Izaya driving slowly.

He was just about to open his mouth again to probably say some more of that annoying stuff- so Izaya accelerated quickly, driving yet into another curve that made Shizuo grip at the door handle and headboard hard so he wouldn´t get tossed around inside the car.

Another, and another- the streets of Ikebukuro weren´t exactly free of cars and destroyed parts of buildings, so he had quite the excuse to drive these many curves to evade all of those.

Of course at top speed, the wheel screeching at once curve especially before he reached a relatively free highway.

The blond clicked his tongue annoyed as he glanced at the flea.

"You are freaking crazy," he announced, still not letting go off the door handle. Seriously. This really was too fun.

"Oh come on, let me live a little." Izaya smirked, the tachometer going way above the scale that was allowed here.

"If you drive like that we are gonna crash." Shizuo merely grunted, his eyes darting around, already expecting some kind of hindrance to appear that they would crash into because Izaya was too fast to slow down enough to stop before it.

"Don´t piss yourself it´s not like you are gonna die from a car crash anyway," the raven announced shrugging, making the blond raise an eyebrow.

"You would though, ever thought of that?" The raven snorted.

"Aw, getting worried over little old me? I feel honored." Shizuo frowned.

"The hell I am."

The raven grinned, scanning the road and spotting a truck up ahead.

"Opposite to you, Shizu-chan, I got confidence in my driving skills." He announced, accelerating even more, his stare fixed on that truck in front of them. The tachometer was slowly wandering towards the 150km/h mark and Shizuo glanced at the flea a little perplex-

"Oi, you do see that truck right?" That freaking little louse was driving exactly towards it.

"Oh, I do," he grinned, going faster and faster-

"Oi-!" The blond barked, there was no way he would be able to stop the car before he crashed into that!

But just as he was about to yell at him, some movements, way too quick for him to really see, were executed- He only felt the raven press the brake and saw his hand switch over to the coupling and hand break before he suddenly felt himself being smashed into the front board- then the side of the car-

The wheels screeched and his eyes darted up ahead, expecting his face to meet the truck in a couple seconds-

Except he didn´t.

He felt himself getting pressed against the door more and more, until the car stopped.

Sidewise.

He had fucking drifted towards the vehicle.

"Told you I can drive." The flea was sitting in his seat, laughing as he slowly drove off again.

The blond frowned, leaning back in his seat again.

Okay, he had to admit, the raven could actually drive... pretty well, okay... but still-

"You are crazy." Laughter reached his ears, just as expected from the crazy flea.

"You are repeating yourself, you know?" he chirped, at least driving at an almost normal speed on the highway.

"I should freaking puke on you for that." Shizuo growled grumpy. The raven cringed, glancing at the brute.

"Gross, please don´t." He could skip on the experience of being vomited on, thank you very much. He took the next exit, heading for a different road. The second he exited the highway he already noticed how there were way less cars on the street.

As he expected. They only went for the fastest way of course.

Less cars meant he could drive more smoothly though.

"Better?" He pressed a certain button on the control board of the car and the sunroof folded itself behind the blond-

Almost instantly Shizuo barked at him-

"Keep the ceiling on!" The raven frowned, his attention half on the street in front of him, half on the yelling brute.

"And why would I do that?" He asked, cocking his brows. The breeze felt nice, it was a warm day after all, the sun had finally come out.

"What about the zombies!?" Izaya cringed-

"Could you please not call those creatures that way?" They were not "zombies". Zombies were some phantasm humans created for their entertainment; fiction. these things were simply infected humans, acting like rabid dogs.

"Scroll the window up again," the blond growled.

"What for? Think they will jump into the car? Seriously Shizu-chan, you didn´t pay attention to those thing´s behavior at all, did you? They can´t jump. And as long as I don´t see a flying _zombie_ I´m not going to let you ruin my ride."

"Tch-" Izaya rolled his eyes.

Seriously- if the brute was going to be annoying like that all of the time he would ditch him soon.

"Come on, relax. Doesn't the breeze feel nice? The sun? Pull that stick out of your ass. We won´t get in a situation like that again if you control that loud voice of yours. Actually it´s easy to survive you know."

Actually it was. if you were careful and didn´t cause too much commotion it´s wasn´t even that bad.

"Easy my ass," the blond commented. "If they gang up on you then-"

"Shizu-chan. We are in the middle of no-where. None of these creatures are in sight," he stated, and let his left arm rest on the cabrio´s door, the wind blowing through his hair.

It was actually a beautiful day. The sun had come out, showering everything with her rays, there was no cloud in the sky a cool breeze occasionally blew through the air.

"Chill for a sec will you?"

...

"You are crazy." The raven shrugged.

"Just thinking freestyle Shizu-chan. It´s needed at a time like this you know." A sigh escaping Shizuo´s lips he mimicked Izaya´s movement and placed his own arm on top of the door frame. Tilting his head to the side he leant back into the seat, trying to relax a bit.

After all, even if he hated it, that flea was right, he actually had only said true things.

It was a beautiful day. There was no zombie to be seen anywhere, they were driving on a road that was almost completely free of any cars that would block the way. Just one or two he had seen since he got in here, but more?

Slowly but surely he let his eyes slip close, taking a deep breath of the fresh air.

Ever since this whole scenario had started he seriously hadn´t gotten to either sleep or rest at any time. Sure, Tom and Kasuka slept and offered to switch with him, who was looking out for any zombies, but he refused. He knew he wouldn´t have been able to sleep anyway. Not with these things running around.

He was tired. Tired because of lack of sleep, and tired simply because he had been up on his feet fighting for two days.

Opening his eyes again slowly he glanced into the sky, the sun blinding him.

To be honest, this was the most comfortable he had gotten so far.

Maybe it wasn´t even that bad an idea to have teamed up with the flea.

"Nice, isn´t it?" He didn´t need to look over to know what kind of grin had to have appeared on the raven´s face.

"Maybe," he shrugged. Not in hell was he going to admit Izaya was right.

He looked into the distance. They were driving aside a park, the trees were blooming in beautiful colors. It was spring after all. It was too bad... Such a lovely season had to be a start of something terrible like this.

"So. Who was the first one you killed?" the blond frowned, looking over at the flea for a second.

First he talked about how he should relax and then he asked things like that.

Fuck logic.

"Do we have to talk?" He asked, leaning back into his seat again, hoping the raven would just leave the topic alone, but of course that wasn´t Izaya´s intention.

"Well, I don´t know about you, but humans are social beings, without any social contact they will get ill or even develop mental illnesses. I´m sure you don´t want me getting any crazier than I am do you?" Crazier than that?

The blond´s raised an eyebrow.

"That´s possible?" The raven ignored him though.

"Seeing how you are a monster I could totally understand it though if you didn´t want to engage in this kind of human behavior."

The blond frowned. Of course Izaya had to put it like that. He hated when he said that.

Silence followed and the raven wondered if Shizuo was actually ignoring him now. It would be a first for the brute. Almost something like an achievement, not flipping out after being teased.

He deserved an award.

"Kasuka," the raven blinked, when the young star´s name was mentioned. He had been in thoughts and must have missed something, since Shizuo only said his name.

"What?" He asked, not getting what the blond was getting at.

"You asked who I had to kill first."

...

For a second Izaya just stared at the blond, the car getting slower as a frown appeared on his face.

"Wait, you killed your own brother?" That couldn´t be right-

But it seemed to be true. The blond tensed and shifted in his seat obviously not wanting to talk about this.

"Can we please talk about something else?"

... to be honest, Izaya was kinda flabbergasted-

It wasn´t that he doubted what Shizuo said, Shizu-chan wasn´t the type to say something that serious for fun. He knew it was true.

What was so suspect to him was the way he said it.

He said it so easy.

"When?" the blond blinked, looking at the raven who was driving slower and slower, paying more attention to him than to the road in front of them.

"Huh?" This time the raven didn´t react annoyed due to Shizuo´s insufficient answer.

"When did you kill him?" he simply repeated, still watching Shizuo closely.

...

The blond looked back at the flea for a second, their eyes meeting. It wasn´t like he had to answer the flea did he?

...

"... today midday," he answered with a grunt. He didn´t want to talk about this. The louse should just shut up already.

Izaya frowned.

_Way too recent._

However, that explained the whole why are you alive speech- Shizuo hadn´t been annoyed that Izaya was alive and okay, but that it was _Izaya_ that was alive and okay, and not his brother.

"You aren´t going to go psychic on me now and start self loathing yourself in guilt and regret and accidentally kill me are you?" the blond´s brows furrowed at that and he glared at the informant.

"Shut up, Izaya," he snarled annoyed. He could deal with an asshole Izaya, alright, but what he could not deal with right now was an Izaya that kept saying bullshit about this.

"Just making sure," Izaya shrugged, "After all, you just killed your broth-"

"Izaya." The raven shut up. Not because Shizuo wanted him to, but because he wasn´t too tempted to actually cause that protozoan to have a breakdown or something. He wasn´t going to deal with that kind of thing.

"Kay, kay, I will stop," he announced, accelerating again as he focused on the road.

"What about you huh? Who did you lose first?"

... Izaya blinked.

He hadn´t expected for Shizuo to ask him questions now. And a question like that... It was clear that the brute hadn´t intended to ask the question like he did.

The frown on Shizuo´s face had deepened as he got no answer but an odd stare from the raven instead.

"What?", he asked annoyed. The raven shrugged a kind of light sigh escaping his lips as he answered.

"Talking about _losing_ , I guess Kururi was the first. She was one of the lucky ones that got to die peacefully."

... oh...

Shizuo´s expression softened when he heard the raven say that.

He had heard of Kururi´s death in the news, she was the one who died first because of the virus, but without turning into one of these things.

... he didn´t actually mean to put it that way.

"Sorry," he mumbled, feeling a tad guilty that he had made the raven talk about something that maybe bothered even a heartless asshole like him when he didn´t want to talk about his own dead brother.

The raven merely shrugged though.

Who knew, maybe he didn´t care after all.

"The first one to actually kill was my boss," the raven continued, ignoring what Shizuo had said and answered what he had actually been intending to ask. "Sounds more fun than it actually was though."

...

Izaya´s boss. The blond paused.

"Ah, the Shiki guy, right?" he asked, remembering seeing that shady guy way too often around Izaya. The raven smirked humming softly.

"You are better informed than I thought."

Silence covered the two for a minute as Izaya just kept driving on the road.

There weren´t many cars here- actually, there were almost none at all. They were still driving next to that park, and Shizuo suspected the louse did that on purpose or something, because the fastest route to Shirokanetakanawa would be a different road.

"Who else is dead?" the question surprised the blond. He had kinda thought the flea was done with asking things from him now.

"What do you mean?" He rose an eyebrow. Who else was dead?

The raven sighed, this time he did seem like he was starting to get a tad annoyed.

"You know, people we know. I know that Shingen Kishitani is dead for example, Namie, Kururi, Kasuka, going for those that you knew too," he started listing a few, making Shizuo get what he meant. It only made the blond frown though when he heard the raven say his little brother´s name.

"You believe me I killed my brother that easily? You really have to think I´m a monster." But to Shizuo´s surprise the raven shook his head.

"Shizu-chan isn´t the type to wander around without trying to protect his dear little brother," looking at the flea, Shizuo listened as he started to talk again. "I already figured he was dead after you didn´t suggest searching for him together. This is not about being a monster though. I take it, given the situation, it was the only way, wasn´t it?"

...

"... wished I had another choice," he mumbled softly.

Izaya nodded to himself. He knew it.

"Was he one of them?" that actor must have been one of them- otherwise there would be no suitable explanation as to why Shizu-chan would even touch his own brother.

He glanced at the brute.

A soft nod was all that he got from him though this time.

"Then you had no choice," he started speaking again, warily eyeing him though. "You shouldn´t feel guilty or anything. I think you did him a favor."

Shizuo snapped his head towards the flea, anger written all over his face.

"What the fuck flea?" A favor- what was he talking about?

Izaya just stayed calm, though, driving another curve down a different street.

"Think about it. Would he have liked to attack innocent people and eat their insides?" Shizuo swallowed noticeably. Just the imagination made him feel nauseous.

"You are sick-" he announced. He didn´t want to think about these kind of things.

"Well that´s what this is about Shizu-chan. The bitter truth. He wouldn´t want that, now would he?" Izaya didn´t let go and just went on.

The blond thought about it for a little.

...

Logically speaking there was no way he would have wanted that of course.

"... no." Maybe he did have a point after all...

"See? So whatever you do, don´t let it get to you when you have to kill one of those things."

Yeah.

The blond sighed heavily, the image of his brothers face before all light disappeared from his eyes still clearly burned into his brain.

But the way Izaya had put it...

He glanced at the flea, leaning back into his seat, getting more comfortable.

"Are you actually trying to make me feel better about this?"

For a second the raven blinked, glancing back at the brute, only for a slight smile to appear on his face.

"Well can´t have my new companion go insane on me, can I?"

...

Crazy louse. And there he was always saying that _he_ was unpredictable.

"Heh, fleas actually can be nice if they try hard enough," Shizuo mumbled, something akin to a little smile appearing on his own expression.

The raven grinned, driving another curve.

"Just like Shizu-chan can actually be peaceful like his name insinuates~"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> END CHAPTER 3 cx
> 
> Hehe, for all those that are already sitting there, waiting for a zombie attack, not now xD
> 
> For now I wanna focus on Izaya and Shizuo ;3 and then the zombie shit shall turn up xD I hope you still liked the chappy :3 Even though it was mostly talk, but heyyyy cx
> 
> Well then, see you next sunday *0*
> 
> Ps.: You know what minna-san? xD I finally got enough confidence to actually write my book down ;/; well not everything yet, but chapter 1 got done yesterday *0* Perfecly done, it´s gonna stay just that way cx Now on to chapter 2 xDDD If I keep going like this it will be done until september 2016 ;/;
> 
> I kinda always doubted that I actually can write anything apart from Shizaya- but you guys gave me so much confidence over the course of time about my writing itself so, that the lil insecure me actually gained enough confidence to start x'D Thank chu ;/; Imma keep you updated in littel Ps.:- notes how my story gets along x'DDD


	5. ஜ Working together ஜ

 

**-Shizuo´s point of view-**

"Are you going to keep driving like this until we are there?" The grumpy question had been asked by no-one but Shizu-chan. Soft laughter erupted from Izaya throat as he glanced over.

"Of course not. I don´t want to attract the attention of any of those creatures, after all. Once the city comes into sight, I'll slow down. The rest of the way, we'll walk." Shizuo frowned, still not particularly liking that the flea was indeed going to keep driving like this until they arrived there.

The blond leaned back in the car, again looking at the scenery that they passed.

"'Kay." He couldn´t wait until everything was over.

Because... It had to be over sometime, no? There had to be a way to put an end to all this.

Someone would find a way, and then everything would return to normal.

Just like it always was.

He would be collecting debts again in Ikebukuro, together with Tom, and maybe even be nicer to the guys that didn´t want to pay.

He would hold himself back from destroying the city.

... Ah...

What was he thinking- that wasn´t possible anymore, now was it...

"Now back to my first question, who else is dead?" Shizuo blinked as the raven snapped him out of his thoughts.

_Who else, huh...?_

"Simon. I found his corpse in an alley. Headshot." Blankly, sudden that statement had come from the brute, just as sudden as the declaration of him killing his brother.

The raven´s eyes widened.

"Simon?" Disbelieving, the familiar name rolled off the raven´s tongue. Seriously? He had thought for sure that someone like the Russian sushi man would be able to survive something like this for the longest.

"Didn´t think he would be on the list of the dead," he mumbled. He had known the guy for a long time.

"Me neither," the blond added. "He challenged me in strength."

_I would doubt that Shizu-chan, but yeah, he was fairly strong._

"He must have tried to protect someone and got bitten," the raven concluded. It was the only logical explanation he had for this. Because if it came down to it none of these things would have been able to get him.

Or...

...

Another option popped up in the raven´s head, making him frown.

...

He would keep that one to himself for now.

"Anyone else?" he questioned, slowing down considerably as more and more cars started to block the way.

They had to drive through an area that was not quite as abandoned as the one before. Out of the corner of his eye, Izaya spotted one of those things- far away, though, and it couldn´t keep up with a driving car, of course.

As long as they stayed far away like this, it was fine.

"Not that I know of." It seemed the blond hadn´t noticed the creature. Otherwise Izaya bet he would have already complained about Izaya still having opened the roof and not closing it already.

"Hmmmm, I see," the raven hummed.

The blond kept staring out of the car.

Not really looking at anything, though. He was still a little caught up in the past. Or a possibly brighter future.

One that, honestly speaking, wasn´t possible. Shizuo kept forgetting.

"Well, what is Shizu-chan´s goal?" The blond blinked, glancing at the raven.

"Goal?" he repeated.

"Well, surely you aren´t just running around aimlessly. There must be something you are working towards, or else there would be no sense in you still fighting back. I´m curious as to what it is."

_... Huh?_

"... I don´t get what you are going on about," the former debt collector frowned.

Hmmm, he hadn´t made it that difficult to understand, had he? Stupid protozoan.

"Some examples should do the trick. Like, are you just afraid to die and that´s why you didn´t let those things get you, or rather, that's why you didn´t kill yourself yet?"

Gaping at the flea, Shizuo blinked.

"What the fuck flea, who would do that?" Seriousness had taken over his expression as Izaya turned around to look at him. Of course still keeping an eye on the road though.

"Lots of people, Shizu-chan. I saw it with my own eyes how they committed suicide because they couldn´t take this new reality."

And that wasn´t even a lie.

What should he say?

Just a day ago, he had it in his mind as a possible course of action. After developing his new plan, though, that was no longer an option, of course.

"You are kidding." Seriously, sometimes the raven wondered how the brute could stay so oblivious to the world´s dark side.

"It´s a natural reaction," he stated, setting the blinker as he drove down a different road, only to let him wonder a second later, who he was even notifying of his turn.

The blond was still frowning. "That´s not normal," he stated, not intending to let that flea tell him anything else.

Izaya shrugged. He wasn´t particularly keen on keeping an argument with the brute going that obviously neither side was going to win.

"Then what is it that keeps Shizu-chan going? Are you still hoping to find someone you know?" he asked instead, making the blond think.

"Yes... well, no," he mumbled, not too sure himself, actually.

"Yes or no?" Izaya inquired.

"I don´t know. I kinda don´t want to think about who could still be alive only to hope for finding them and then they are already zombies." The raven cringed.

"Again that word." He hated it. The blond snorted.

"Deal with it, they're zombies. I mean look at them." A sigh escaped the raven´s lips at Shizuo´s statement. Really now...

"Don´t worry, I´m not going to discuss with you complicated topics as science and chemistry to explain to you just why they aren´t really zombies, like those you know from movies."

A tad annoyed, Shizuo turned towards the flea.

"You think I´m stupid, don´t you?" A grin spread over the flea´s features, doing nothing but testify what Shizuo had asked.

"Whatever made you think that?" the raven asked innocently, but didn´t dwell on his question too long, "Let´s make my initial question easier, what were you going to do before you met me?"

...

His expression darkening, Shizuo leaned back, letting his sight trail along the scenery outside.

After that thing with Kasuka...

"I don´t know. Nothing. I was wondering about it myself." That made Izaya perk his ears.

"Wondering?" he repeated. The blond nodded.

"Yeah. About what to do. I was together with Kasuka, his girlfriend, and Tom."

_Wait a second-_

"Is Tom dead too?" A nod followed.

"And the girlfriend?" Another nod.

The car got slower as the raven frowned, his attention more on Shizuo now then on the road.

He knew there was something off.

Ever since they met Shizu-chan hadn´t once tried to bash his head in.

He hadn´t even gotten seriously angry- he was just... tranquil.

"Shizu-chan, what exactly happened back there?"

The man in question frowned. Did he have to tell?

He didn´t want to think about it.

But...

"Kasuka´s girlfriend got bitten," Shizuo started. "Kasuka told me she was a vampire or something. Similar to Celty in a way, so Tom figured that she wouldn´t turn into one of those."

He could still remember it. She had looked so shocked- if he thought back to it now, maybe Tom just said that because he wanted to calm her down so she wouldn´t be scared.

But it wasn´t like Tom thought.

"She bit Tom and Kasuka before I could stop her." The sentence felt heavy against Shizuo´s tongue.

He could still remember it all too clearly... That face Kasuka had made-

Always composed, but... at that moment, he had looked really scared. He asked him to do something and if he would really turn into one of those...

"Tom shot her. After that, he handed me the gun, said that he wanted me to keep him from turning." The sentences kept flowing from Shizuo´s tongue despite him not wanting to talk about this.

Izaya watched him warily. He hadn´t failed to notice that this wasn´t exactly nothing to the brute-

No... Actually, he couldn´t call him a brute right now, could he? When he was obviously feeling too much.

"I didn´t want to. Then Kasuka turned to me and said he wanted that, too."

Getting more and more anxious around the blond, Izaya slowed the car down to a speed where a bicycle could have caught up to them.

"I didn´t do it. I couldn´t, they were still... themselves, you know?"

"So you waited." The raven finished for the blond.

...

No answer.

He could already figure out the end of the story.

"Too long, I guess."

A nod followed.

"Was Kasuka the first one you had to shoot?" Again a solemn nod as he looked out of window.

"And then Tom."

"It couldn´t be helped-" The blond mumbled, almost as if to defend himself.

"Was he a zombie, too, already?" A nearly silent whisper followed.

"About to." Okay, that was enough for the raven to know.

"Nice to know I´m sitting next to a walking time bomb." The car got even slower-

"What?" Swiftly the raven turned the car around- almost making Shizuo loose balance as he parked in the middle of a beautiful park.

"Get out." A frown formed on the blond´s forehead as he snapped his head back towards the raven.

"What?" He was about to ask what kind of bullshit Izaya was pulling on him now, before he noticed that the flea was getting out of the car as well.

A bit stupefied, he opened the door, stepping onto the green grass. It was barely after midday, the grass was in the shadow of a huge house, still wet from the morning dew. There wasn´t anything that looked like it could be any destination the flea wanted to visit.

"We're stopping in the middle of nowhere? I thought you wanted to get to Shirokanetakanawa?" he asked, taking in their surroundings.

This was really just the beginning of a simple park, not even a large one. He could see some houses on the other side of it from here, looking like the one in front of them.

"That can wait. I want you to strip."

...

_What..?_

Stupefied, the blond turned around, only to see the raven standing there, leaning on the car, his arms crossed.

The confusion on his expression must have been obvious because he didn´t even need to ask the raven for an explanation before he started to give it.

"I want to know if you have been bitten." The blond frowned at that.

"I wasn´t." Didn´t he already tell the raven that? Thinking about it, he wasn´t so sure anymore if the flea even had asked before.

"Still." The flea shrugged. The hell-

Was he not believing him?

"But I really wasn´t bitten!" the blond emphasized- he would know after all-

The raven shook his head though-

"Shizu-chan, you were around a horde of zombies, your closest friend turned into a zombie and your brother did, too. I don´t know about how the actual killing took place, but I take it you were pretty much in some state of shock. Actually, I think you still are, considering how easily you told me you killed your own brother and probably best friend."

The words made Shizuo swallow hard. His lips went dry as he tried to retort something to that- tried to deny it, but ... he knew himself he might not be able to do that this time.

"I highly doubt that you would have even noticed it if one of them bit you," he went on, and for once Shizuo got the feeling Izaya wasn't trying to mock him.

His throat felt constricted as the raven reminded him of what he had done.

"You get what I mean? It´s not that I think you are lying, but rather that you could have just not realized it."

Made him feel sick.

"I got it, now stop talking already..." He swallowed and squeezed his eyes shut for a second as he tried to not think too much about what Izaya had said.

Slowly, he grabbed the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head. He just wanted to get that picture of a zombie Kasuka out of his head.

The blood spray- it was still staining his shirt wasn´t it?

A tad disgusted he threw it to the ground as he undressed. The pants following shortly after-

If he could, he would just burn these clothes.

The raven watched the scene, not quite being able to decipher Shizu-chan´s expressions as he tossed the clothes to the ground.

Something was wrong with the brute- mentally. He had failed to notice that aspect when they met. He was slacking off.

He let his eyes trail over the blond´s well-built body- to be honest, he expected him to have way more muscles- since he always heaved those heavy things- but then again, that was just his brain limitation missing.

Scars covered his entire body, probably from their fights. It didn´t surprise him.

Slowly the blond turned around, letting Izaya look at his back-

"... Any bite marks?" It was a quiet question, almost sounding unsure. The raven stepped closer, inspecting the scarred skin.

"Yes."

For a second Shizuo felt as if the world had just frozen.

...

_WHAT?!_

No way, there couldn´t-

He felt nauseous- no, no way-

His eyes wide, the debt collector turned around- only for Izaya to snort.

"I was just joking, there are none."

...

For a second Shizuo let that information sink in- relief washing over him as the possibility of turning into a zombie disappeared.

And then he glared- his fists tightened as he retrieved his clothes from the ground.

"You're a dick, you know that?" The raven shrugged.

"Well, you looked so tense, it really was too tempting. Seems you don´t want to die yet, though." He earned a glare for that one, and he probably destroyed whatever little sympathy he had gained from the brute before, but Izaya didn´t care.

It was needed. He had to determine if the brute was just following him around to wait for his own death or if he still had the will to survive. Dragging dead weight along with him was something he didn´t intend to do.

"You take off your shirt, too." The raven blinked at that, he had just been about to slip into the car again.

"Oh? Shizu-chan wants me to strip?" He quirked an eyebrow, hoping the brute would drop the question.

"Stop that shit."Hmm seemed not. How stubborn.

"Unlike you, I would have noticed if one of these things bit me, Shizu-chan." The blond frowned.

"Yeah right, and who says you would tell me that, though?"

...

Only slightly the raven´s lips turned into a smile. The brute wasn´t as stupid as he thought.

"Heh, the protozoan got smart. Oh well." With one swift movement the coat was taken off and dropped over the car´s door. The shirt following rather quickly.

"You are getting the show of your lifetime here, Shizu-chan~" Izaya chirped as he unbuckled his belt, making Shizuo roll his eyes.

In just another moment the pants were down and the raven turned around for Shizuo to look at him.

Skinny flea. He should eat more. Shizuo was surprised though that there weren´t any scars on the louse´s body. He had thought he would have at least a couple ones.

At least he had no bite marks.

Of course- the blond was kinda relieved, even though that pest was the last person that deserved to survive.

"And?" The blond grinned, unknown to Izaya.

"You got bitten," he stated, waiting for the flea to freak out like he did before, but instead... the raven laughed, heartily.

"Shizu-chan, the same joke doesn´t work twice, and I know I didn´t get bitten. Nice try though." Shizuo clicked his tongue.

Damn flea.

Still slightly pissed because of the louse´s stupid joke from before, Shizuo slipped his clothes back on.

...

He didn´t like knowing what kind of stains painted the shirt, but he shoved that thought aside.

"Come on." The flea slipped back into the driver's seat as soon as he dressed himself again, the engine roaring as he started it once more.

"Let´s drive on, Shizu-chan."

Still annoyed, the blond slipped back into the car.

Why did he decide to team up with the flea, again?

...

Right.

"Why are you even driving out here? There are way faster routes to Shirokanetakanawa." he asked, leaning back into his seat as the raven drove on.

"Sure, there are lots of faster routes- which will all be blocked by dozens of cars, of course."

"... oh."

"Exactly." Really now, maybe Shizu-chan wasn´t as smart as he thought. "Therefore, I´m driving alongside parks and roads that aren´t connected to the highways."

...

Maybe it really was a good idea to be with the flea after all. He was annoying and an asshole, but he sure knew how to survive.

"You sure think your actions through." The informant flashed him a smile.

"That´s my job, Shizu-chan~"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of chapter 5 C:
> 
> Next chappy is gonna be seriously sweet xD With a tiny winy zombie included- and then ... ehehehehehehe~ DRAMA xDDD
> 
> See you next sunday~! (ﾉಠヮಠ)ﾉ:･ﾟ
> 
> PS.: No escape is gonna be updated in a few days cx
> 
> And next week, aka 15th May, there will be no updates, except The wish to disappear ;3 That one is gonna get updated xD Can´t leave you hanging for too long, now can I? xD


	6. ஜ Nighttime ஜ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo~ (ﾉಠヮಠ)ﾉ:･ﾟ.*
> 
> Welcome to chapter 6 *^*
> 
> First off- I'M SO SORRY FOR UPDATING SO LATE ;A; xD Gomen xD
> 
> University stuff just got the better of me and I didn´t get to write a lot at all xDD
> 
> But now! Now you get a chapter! xD
> 
> And I will make sure to update next week as well C: 3
> 
> Thank you very much for correcting SoylentRamen! *0*
> 
> Enjoy~! (ﾉಠヮಠ)ﾉ:･ﾟ.*

  


**-Shizuo´s point of view-**

"Wake up, princess!" The blond cringed as the rather loud voice interrupted his peaceful sleep.

"What..?" Groggily he opened an eye, only to meet the grin of a certain raven haired man.

"Rise and shine," Izaya cooed, while slipping out of the driver´s seat before he slammed the door shut with a loud thud. The blond cringed at the sound and heaved himself up. He had been leaning against the seatbelt- hair was sticking to his face, and he could feel a certain warmth radiating from where he had laid. He was sure there would be some red lines on his cheek.

Yawning, he finally took in his surroundings. The flea had stopped here after all, hadn´t he?

He blinked- they weren´t quite where they were before anymore. Where the hell did the flea drive to? Or even better, how?

Because they sure weren´t in the city anymore- looked more like a sort of rural landscape- a single obviously abandoned house was the only thing that interrupted the nature-

It was still day, even thought the sun was already setting, so Izaya must have driven quite crazily to get so far away from Ikebukuro in that short amount of time.

"I fell asleep?" he asked, now getting out of the car himself. Izaya merely spared him an amused glance as he walked towards the abandoned house.

"Snored, too. My poor ears!" he teased, theatrically covering his ears.

Stupid flea.

"Are we already in Shirokanetakanawa?" He let his eyes trail around the surroundings once more, but soon after asking the question, he realized how stupid it actually was. Izaya couldn't have been driving that fast.

"Not yet- I´m taking a break from driving," Izaya declared, once again heading towards the little house. The blond followed while frowning slightly.

"Why?" It wasn´t dark yet; if he had to say, the sun was just about to start setting. They had at least one more hour of driving to go.

"Because I´m tired, Shizu-chan," the raven answered with a shrug. It was obvious that he hadn't planned on arriving at the hospital he wanted to go to yet anyway.

"I could drive," Shizuo suggested. It wasn´t like anyone would care anymore whether he had a license in this kind of environment.

"Ahhh, sorry," the raven waved him off, "If I might remind you, you just fell asleep on me during the ride. I can skip on a one second sleep of yours that will surely lead not to your, but my death."

The blond frowned.

"I wouldn´t fall asleep while driving." As if. Sure, he had fallen asleep, but only during the ride because he knew Izaya was the one driving.

He was about to reply more when suddenly something else caught his attention.

Something dead.

Both froze when familiar groaning noises filled their ears and they turned around, facing the abandoned house.

There was one. And it obviously had noticed them by how loudly they had spoken. It was approaching them fairly quickly- Shizuo felt his skin crawl as he saw the zombie. And for a second, he was just frozen.

For a tiny little moment, since he had teamed up with the flea and driven in the car he had thought everything was okay.

That everything was going to be fine again somehow. He had kinda forgotten those things existed for a second.

Swift movement next to him made him unfreeze, and a disgusting scream filled the air before the body dropped to the ground.

A knife was sticking in its head and its eyes had rolled back. The raven looked at the creature warily, stepping closer.

Seems he had aimed quite well, blood was streaming out from between the creature´s eyes and it wasn´t moving, even though Izaya knew it could hear him walk from this short distance.

It was only then that he noticed the bloody mouth and arm- the hand gave away why the thing looked like it had been murdered once already.

"Seems it was eating someone before we came." Its fists were closed around what Izaya believed to be someone else´s insides.

A retching sound made Izaya turn his head, only to see Shizuo bend over to throw up.

...

Well, he couldn´t blame him. The sight of that thing made him feel nauseous, as well.

Or rather, imagining _how_ it had gotten someone else´s insides out of them was what made him feel nauseous. Turning his head away from the creature and Shizuo, he looked over to the house.

Maybe there had been some homeless guy living in that little house. The prospect of finding some food and water, maybe even other useful things helped getting his mind off things.

Swiftly, he started walking towards the building. The backpack he had been carrying around was again on his back, the car incautiously left on the street. He hadn´t even locked it. What for?

It´s not like there were any people left that could steal it.

The wet grass made quiet squishing noises under his feet as he approached the house. It was really small. Warily listening, Izaya tried to determine if anything was moving in there. Like, one more of those creatures or something like that.

But it was quiet.

He put his hand on the door handle, opening the door slowly. The knife had already found its way to Izaya´s palm, and his grip on it only tightened when he scanned the inside of the house.

Almost immediately, a stench filled his nose, way worse than what he expected it to be-

Turning his head in the opposite direction of the smell, Izaya entered the house. He didn´t exactly need to look at that corpse in the left corner of the room.

What he saw of it already in the creature´s hands was more than enough.

He let his gaze trail through the house. There wasn´t much to see. Izaya passed something akin to a small kitchen, dust and dirt coating everything, and he quickly lost hope of finding anything safe to eat or drink in there.

Oh well.

Other than that, there was only the corpse and what Izaya suspected to be a bed in a corner. It was a real one, at least, and not just a futon, which gave him an idea.

It was getting late, after all.

Curious, he opened a cupboard next to the bed, careful to neither touch nor look at the corpse too much.

Something akin to a smile spread across his lips as he found what he had hoped to find.

Shizuo leant against the car, his hands in his pockets- they were still trembling and he couldn´t stop it.

Shizuo hazarded a glance at the dead zombie, just for the blink of an eye. Usually, those things didn´t make him feel sick. Not at all.

He had seen worse. But now... the only thing that had reflected in his mind when he had seen that zombie was the scene he saw after Kasuka died-

His stomach churning once more, he quickly glanced back at the house. The flea had walked in there, right?

He had not the slightest intention to enter that house.

The dead zombie on the ground was already enough for his tastes. He could guess what would be inside the house, given that the zombie had come from there.

Movement caught his attention, and his body stiffened, thinking another zombie was coming- but it was just Izaya.

He wondered what he had even been doing in there. The stench was noticeable from here; nothing could make Shizuo go in there.

"Would you come with me for a second?"

Of fucking course.

"In there? No way." He refused to go anywhere near this obvious stench of death. Izaya rolled his eyes as he stepped out of the house. His hands were shoved back into his pockets, and he let his eyes trail up a tree that was standing next to the building before pointing at it.

"I´m thinking of having you put that guy´s mattress in that tree." The blond blinked, a frown carving itself into his expression. The guy´s mattress?

"I always knew you didn´t have your shit together, but that?" What the hell did the flea want with it?

Though the raven actually didn´t laugh. Shizuo thought he had been joking or trying to imply something sarcastic- was he actually being serious?

"Well, Shizu-chan, as I might inform you, dogs, maybe due to their higher intelligence, can be affected by this virus too," Izaya suddenly stated, lowering his hand again to leave it hanging down by his side.

For a second, Shizuo had to blink, trying to understand the new piece of information he had been given.

"Wait, what?" He had said dogs, hadn´t he?

Izaya nodded as if to confirm Shizuo´s fears.

"Yes, Shizu-chan. I have seen _'zombie'_ dogs running around. And I´m not particularly keen to wake up with a zombie dog gnawing on my leg." He took a few steps forward, nudging the dead creature with his foot.

"This guy," he pointed at the house, "obviously lived here all alone. What do you think he most likely had?" The blond stiffened as the dots connected in his head.

"... a dog." Izaya nodded, turning his head to pointedly look around their surroundings.

"See it anywhere?" The question alone made Shizuo´s blood freeze just a bit as he let his own eyes scan the area. There was no dog.

At least not here-

But not knowing what kind of species it was, it could be hiding away somewhere very easily, waiting for them to drop their guard- Shizuo stepped away from the car, quickly looking beneath it- just in case. The raven pointed towards the tree.

"Scary, ne? So, I don´t know about you, but I will be sleeping in that tree, where I´m sure none of those things can reach me."

Shizuo glanced at the raven, who was now walking back to the house.

For once, that fucking flea actually had said something that made a hell lot of sense to him. Unwillingly, Shizuo followed Izaya- he didn´t want to enter that house, but then again, sleeping while just lying on a simple branch would be quite uncomfortable...

"I will, too." he announced, making the flea cock an eyebrow. The floor creaked slightly as they both entered the house. Shizuo instantly lifted his hand, covering his mouth and nose with his sleeve as well as he could- and tried to avoid looking at the spot the stench came from.

"Ah, there is only one mattress, though, Shizu-chan," Izaya announced, walking over to the bed in the corner. Shizuo rolled his eyes.

"Oh, shut up. You barely take up space, anyway." Skinny as he was- he glanced at the flea.

"Why, thank you." Of course the louse was grinning back.

Seeing the flea like that was still kinda odd. He was dirty, obviously very tired- at least, the bags under his eyes made him look that way. To be completely honest, this was the first time that Shizuo found himself thinking of Izaya as _weak_. Not that he would underestimate him. No, Izaya could very well make up for any lack of strength with his freaking smartness, but now in an environment like this- where he couldn´t scheme anything and had no power whatsoever- he actually seemed weak.

"Wasn´t a compliment, skinny flea." The flea grinned and started pulling at one edge of the mattress, trying to lift it or rather drag it off there, but it was obvious he would barely be able to drag it through the blood like that- let alone get it up into the tree.

It put Shizuo off- seeing how much the flea could actually struggle to do something.

He frowned, annoyed, and grabbed the mattress, lifting it over his head without any problem- careful not to accidentally lift his sleeve off his face as he stomped out of the house.

He didn´t like this at all.

It almost felt as if Izaya had some sort of expiration date printed on him that counted down how long he would be able to survive out here. Sure, he was smart, he could hide, avoid any dangerous situations, but if it really came down to it- if he got cornered because of someone else´s mistake, like before, it was pretty clear just what was going to happen.

Pissed him off.

Finally being out of the stinking house, Shizuo grabbed the mattress with both his arms and flung it up the three- leaves and branches rustled as they fell down- for a second Shizuo thought the mattress was going to come down again, but no, it stuck between three thicker branches.

He heard clapping behind him and frowned the slightest bit. He didn't need to turn around to face that stupid smirk of Izaya´s or any joke on how brutishly he had solved this problem.

"Thank you very much, Shizu-chan~" the raven purred, walking past him to the trunk of the tree and swung himself up on it.

Leaves came down, and a couple more little branches broke, as the flea dragged the mattress to a horizontal position. Light reflecting from his silver knife caught Shizuo's attention, and for a split second, he thought Izaya was going to fling it at him. He didn´t, though; instead, he used it to pierce the mattress.

Izaya pulled a rope out of the backpack he had been carrying around, and Shizuo wondered for a second what else the flea had in there.

The sun was already setting by now, and Shizuo was feeling more and more anxious down there as he kept scanning his surroundings. Somehow, he wished Izaya hadn´t told him about the zombie dogs.

Deciding that he was fed up with looking around, he climbed up the tree. Izaya was using his knife to cut into the mattress edges and binding the whole thing to the three thick branches with the rope. The way he was doing it almost reminded Shizuo of a hammock.

"Done~" the flea cheered, hanging the backpack onto another, not quite as thick branch next to them and lying down on the mattress. To be honest, like this, the tree with its leaves and the mattress looked like a pretty neat hideout. People wouldn´t be able to see them from a distance, either.

The blond sighed-

"Move over." He pushed at the skinny flea to get his own share of the mattress. The raven frowned a bit, not moving.

"I´m still not all too happy that I have to share my sleeping place with you," he muttered, only to find himself being pushed over fairly quickly. A growl followed as the mattress shifted a tad, the blond making himself comfortable on it.

"Shut up, or I will shove you out of the tree." Wow, now that was something to look forward to.

"Is that what I get for saving your life?" Izaya asked sarcastically, pulling his legs up slightly on the tiny bit of the mattress he had left.

...

He blinked when he didn´t receive an answer and instead felt the blond move away a bit.

A snort escaped his lips and he cocked an eyebrow as he turned around to face the blond.

"How serious you get."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TO BE CONTINUED XDD
> 
> Well then, i hope you liked this chapter~ Enjoy the fluffy scenes as long as you can because soon- SOOON SOMETHING is gonna happen C:
> 
> xDDD
> 
> See you next sunday! *0*0*0*0*0*0* I WILL GIVE MY BEST TO ACTUALLY UPDATE XDDD


	7. ஜ Suppressed feelings ஜ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo~ (ﾉಠヮಠ)ﾉ:･ﾟ.*
> 
> Welcome to chapter 7 *^*
> 
> Sorry for being a tad late xD half a day aaaaaaahhh- but yeah xD Here you go *0*
> 
> Chapter 7 of this thing xD Some of you were hoping for cuddling-
> 
> Well...
> 
> Let´s just say there will be some sort of interaction xDDDDD
> 
> Lots and lots of thanks to my dear beta *0* Who corrected this so quick 3 Thank you Soylent Ramen C:
> 
> Well then enough rambling *0*
> 
> Let´s get on with the story xD
> 
> Enjoy~! (ﾉಠヮಠ)ﾉ:･ﾟ.*

  
**\---Izaya´s point of view.---**   


"Shut up."

Izaya let his eyes trail over the blond that was facing away from him sort of taken aback. He sure was grumpy.

Well. After a day like this… he couldn´t exactly be mad for that.

Letting himself fall back onto the mattress, he crossed his arms behind his head.

There was not much to be seen above them, though.

Leaves. That was all. After all, they were in a tree.

Green leaves, brown leaves, leaves with caterpillars on them, leaves with other kinds of insects-

Really now.

He wasn´t going to stare up at some bugs until the sun was done setting and he could sleep in darkness. It wasn´t like Izaya wasn´t tired enough to sleep, no, not that, but he disliked sleeping in the daylight where something, or someone, could see him and ambush him.

...

He was pretty sure that Simon had not been killed by a zombie.

He was too smart and too strong for it. No, what he had in mind was something else, and it didn´t scare him any less.

So he was not going to close his eyes until he was sure no one would be able to discover them. Be it human or zombie.

The mattress shifted, and to no one's surprise, the blond growled, annoyed, almost instantly.

Izaya had gotten up and was standing on the mattress, rustling in the leaves.

Shizuo frowned, watching as some leaves trailed down on top of him and threw them down the tree.

"What the hell are you doing, flea?" he grumbled, watching as the raven's hands rustled between the twigs and branches.

The only thing he got from the flea was a smirk, though. He pulled at a few branches more, causing more shit to fall on the mattress.

"Oi-" But then he sat down and let himself fall back as he crossed his arms behind his head once more.

"Well, look up." Shizuo frowned, not exactly amused, but looked up anyway.

"Why would I-"

And then he paused.

"Oh."

The raven chuckled.

Honestly, he just wanted to be able to look at something other than leaves, but this was even better.

He had moved a few branches away, tugged them in a way so they wouldn´t snap back to their initial position, and created a hole in the tree.

One through which he could see the sky.

The sun was already setting, and while to their right the sun was gleaming brightly, drowning everything in red and orange, right above them, it was already darker, purple, blue, with a few stars dotting the sky.

A sight almost too beautiful for times like these.

"You know, looking up like that, you could think everything is still okay." Shizuo tilted his head a bit, actually looking at the flea next to him.

"What do you mean?" Izaya shrugged.

"You know, as if nothing happened at all. As if everything is still as before." No zombies, no destroyed city- conveniences such as a nice bath or shower, otooro, the internet and light at night.

Everything, to sum it up in a nutshell.

"... maybe sometime it will return to being that way." It was Shizu-chan who had spoken the words.

Heh, he sounded really calm at the moment. From Izaya´s point of view, it always was a stupid thing to just dwell on old memories. It kept one from evolving. But strangely, now, in a situation like this, he found it to be strangely comforting.

"Being optimistic now?" he asked, something like a smile spreading over his lips. A sigh followed- the air was getting a bit colder and for a second, Izaya regretted that he hadn´t grabbed that guy´s blanket, as well.

Then again... it was soaked in the man´s blood and insides...

No, thank you; he would prefer to freeze over touching that gross thing.

"Why not? Maybe something will happen. Maybe the virus will stop... virus-whoring around, or I don´t even know. What if everything turned back to normal?" Izaya snorted.

"And here I always thought Shizu-chan was a pessimist."

The blond shrugged.

"But imagine it. Everything back as it was-" he mumbled, and he almost looked happy there for a second, through all that dirt and weary expression.

"Tom and me going to collect depts. Kasuka doing shoots,"

Wait, what?

"You trying to frame me for shit, and saying shit about my brother. Simon will be handing sushi out. And your sister will try getting close to my brother."

...

Warily, Izaya eyed the blond, sitting up on the mattress.

Shizuo still looked happy.

"Maybe if the virus disappears, everything could be like before again."

He didn´t like this kind of Shizuo at all.

Not.

At.

All.

He had seen people like him, he had seen them go insane.

Nice people.

People who wouldn´t hurt a fly on purpose.

"Shizu-chan, Tom is dead."

The sentence cut through the night like a hot knife through butter.

And then it was really quiet for a second.

Shizu-chan had stopped talking; instead, he looked at the raven as if he had just told him the Easter bunny didn´t exist.

He had forgotten.

No, not forgotten. Shizu-chan had repressed it.

"Same for Kasuka. They won´t return no matter what." To be honest, it scared Izaya.

He had taken the brute with him because he thought he could be useful. Someone strong like him, a walking zombie-killing machine, what bad would there be about dragging him along.

But he forgot that Shizu-chan wasn´t like him. He forgot that he might not be able to deal with this new reality, just like many others.

Shizuo could do nothing but blink for a moment.

Right...

Shit.

_Shit._

He had... no… what was he even talking about?

Just now, he had been about to yell at Izaya right? He had been about to ask him what the fuck he was talking about.

That was when he realized what he was even saying.

Fuck.

They were dead, weren´t they.

And he killed-

"Shizuo, you killed your brother and best friend." Izaya´s voice snapped him out of his daze again, and he looked at the raven. He hadn´t even used his stupid nickname. Instead, he was looking at him in a really serious way.

"Can you deal with it?"

...

What a weird question.

Could he deal with it?

...

With...

He didn´t know.

He did.

Didn´t he?

"Yeah," he answered, not too sure about his own answer, but what else could he do? He had to deal with it. What else was supposed to happen?

He would forget.

Just forget.

But Izaya saw right through him. There was no way someone like Shizuo could deal with killing a person, that person being his best friend and brother on top of it.

He couldn´t. He could see so many emotions reflect in the brute´s eyes. It was too much for him, wasn´t it?

...

Shizu-chan wasn´t able to just store his emotions away like Izaya could. He thought it was strange, ever since he had started talking about killing his brother.

Was he trying to ignore it? Maybe, but he couldn´t- he couldn´t mourn, either, if he kept telling himself that nothing happened.

...

It was obvious to Izaya.

He couldn´t deal with it- so he had to make him deal with it in the only way he understood.

"Ne, Shizu-chan, did you enjoy killing your brother?"

...

Pause.

For a second Shizuo really wondered if somehow he had terribly misunderstood Izaya´s words just now.

"What." That didn´t even sound like a question. It literally sounded as if he had just spelled the word for the sake of his brain catching up on what he said.

Setting up his best smirk the raven grinned, getting up from his spot.

"Well you are a monster, Shizu-chan, so I bet you enjoyed it, no~?"

_Shut up._

"After all, I mean, you love violence, don´t you? You always hurt so many, and they were just zombies, right?" Izaya grinned, setting his best smirk in place.

"Ne, Shizu-chan~", he leaned down a bit to the still frozen Shizuo. "What did it feel like to shoot your brother in the head? I´m sure you shot him there. Did his brain fly out? Did it stain your shirt? How gross."

**_-THUD-_ **

At that something had snapped.

Snapped in two senses.

Whatever branch Shizuo had gripped while Izaya spoke to him, Izaya heard it crack before he found it aimed at his face- serving quite well as a new version of Shizu-chan´s stop signs as he flew down the tree-

Now laying there, on his back- and damn that fall wasn´t exactly something he wanted to describe as graceful.

A thundering thud followed, and before he knew it, there was a shadow looming over him- soon after, he was pulled up by his shirt.

A punch- to his face this time, but the hand on his collar held him in place.

Ahh, that hurt- another one followed.

One after the other.

Not as powerful as usual- Shizu-chan clearly wasn´t using all his strength.

No. Clearly. And he had a feeling even Shizu-chan knew why.

But it was better now than later.

He was heaving, steaming like a bull, hitting him countless times- Izaya was sure to be bruised the next day for this, but what did appearance even matter.

With the kind of guilt Shizu-chan would feel Izaya wouldn´t have to worry about not being able to protect himself. Shizu-chan would do it fairly well. Like a pawn.

It didn´t take long.

Five minutes.

Maybe ten.

Then the brute laid off him.

Izaya didn´t even need to say anymore.

He went over to the tree- now letting his rage out at it.

More of it. He hit the thing harder than he had hit Izaya, that was for sure.

But it had to be that way.

He had to vent somehow, get through this. By screaming or whatever- and his best way of dealing with emotion was also what he hated the most. Violence.

Good thing Izaya was an expert in getting the blond to use it.

It took a couple more minutes and blood was dripping down his knuckles until Shizu-chan finally stopped hitting the tree.

Izaya was still laying in the grass, looking at the sky, and from time to time scanning his surroundings, in case anything non-human was approaching them.

A soft breeze was blowing over the scene as Shizuo slumped down, leaning onto the tree he had just punched.

His knuckles were red, hurt- blood was streaming from them. Izaya looked at them for a bit, wondering if he should patch that up later.

But what interested him more right now was Shizu-chan himself.

He had pulled his legs up, hiding his expression in his knees, but Izaya could imagine what he was looking like right now.

"... feeling better now?" It was Izaya who had asked the question, turning his head back to stare at the sky.

Darkness was taking over the scene more and more and the stars were coming out in earnest.

He glanced over at the blond with his red eyes, but the brute was shaking his head.

"I killed them Izaya." He looked up, tilted his head just enough so he could look at the flea.

Izaya blinked.

He didn´t know what to make of it.

Shizuo´s expression. He hated to admit that Shizu-chan could ever be a human. He was a monster, always had been.

But right now, he showed an expression so human, Izaya couldn´t deny it even if he wanted to.

There was only pain and regret reflecting in his eyes.

"I murdered them-!" Guilt. Sadness.

So many emotions.

"It´s okay." It had been a whisper so quiet as to be nearly silent, but Shizuo had caught it nonetheless-

"Okay?" Nothing was okay about anything here.

Nothing...

But Izaya shook his head as if to convince Shizu-chan otherwise.

"Look, you see all the stars?" Shizuo looked up, a bit surprised by the sudden switch of topic.

... there were lots of stars.

Now that he sun had almost set, he could see them.

Sparkling.

Beautiful-

"We are just like them." A little confused, he looked back at the raven. He was still staring at the sky. "Did you know the light of stars takes so long to travel to us, that the star may have already died when we finally see the light?"

Shizuo thought about it.

Yeah... back in Raira sometime in physics. He thought the teacher said something about it.

"Our body, the material substance might have vanished already, but we will stay in everybody's minds for a long time and be alive, just like the light of the stars is still there and being seen and remembered."

...

Remembered, huh?

"In other words, they aren´t gone just because they are dead. They are still here because we can see them in our memories. Think of it that way."

...

Memories, he said.

He certainly had a lot of his brother.

"That´s... actually quite nice, coming from you."

Izaya chuckled.

"I´m not 24/7 as mean as you may think I am. It´s hard to keep that up, especially in a world where reputation doesn´t pay off anymore."

... _still._..

...

"I´m sorry." Izaya blinked, tilting his head so he could look at the blond.

"Whoa, Shizu-chan apologizing. I think now you really went insane." Shizuo couldn´t help but smile a bit at that.

He knew it already.

"I know why you said that. I think... I guess I needed that..." He felt better. Despite hating violence so much, and not feeling perfectly well with beating Izaya up like this when he was actually trying to help, he did feel better.

Kasuka was dead, yeah. His girlfriend.

Tom was, too.

He knew it. But right now, with the louse around him and saying those things, it was almost as if it was alright.

"Thank you, flea."

...

Izaya sighed and sat up from his supine position.

At least it had worked and he didn´t get those bruises for nothing. He was about to get up on his feet when he found something stretched out towards his face.

He blinked.

A hand.

Shizu-chan was the one offering his hand.

"Sorry ´bout that." he mumbled, glancing at his face.

The raven snorted.

He took the hand and the blond pulled him up as they crawled back into the tree.

Really now.

He felt like he now owned a domesticated tiger.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued~
> 
> C:
> 
> Isn´t Shizu-chan cute? xD Well except for hitting Izaya, but oh my, he probably deserved that one for everything else he ever did anyway xD
> 
> Again sorry for the slight delay in updating C:
> 
> Hehe, soon, SOON the interesting things are gonna happen *0* xD Things that will mess Shizuo up just a little bit C:
> 
> Cuz -why not xD ahhh~ Already looking forward to this~ ohhhhh yesssssss
> 
> hehe C:
> 
> xD
> 
> Anyway~ I hope you liked this chapter C: and see you next sunday *0*0*0*! xD
> 
> PS.: Sorry about "no escape"- those who are waiting, I will try to get it done by today, so if you are lucky you should get it by tomorrow :C gomene


	8. ஜ Hospital ஜ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter 8~! *0*
> 
> Finally xDD Sorry I am a tad late, but hey, it´s still Sunday for some people- xDDD so forgive meh xD
> 
> Hehe soon, soon some really terrifying things will happen~ Aww poor Shizuo- I hope you all don´t get nauseous too easily xD Joke, it won´t be that gross, just maybe for some xD
> 
> Oh well~ the terror though~ -squeals in anticipation-
> 
> I shall not spoiler xDDD
> 
> Thank you very much for correcting SoylentRamen! *^* Seriously, she is the queen of proofreading! With university and all that shit I´m not exactly the fastest writer at the moment, and to be honest I thought there was no way I would make it in time this time-
> 
> BUT- after I wrote all the updates yesterday- she corrected all four chapters in like, within 3 hours, after I sent them to her ;/; Thank you a lot SoylentRamen C:
> 
> Well then xD Let´s not ramble much longer, I hope you will like this chapter *0*
> 
> Enjoy~!

  


 

-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

**-Shizuo´s point of view-**

"Wake up, you sleeping rock." The blond blinked, confused, rays of the sun blinding him as they shone in his face.

A sleepy grumble escaped his lips as he rolled over, facing not only more of the sun, but also a certain raven-haired flea that was sitting next to him.

There, on the edge of the mattress, Izaya was letting his legs dangle down the tree. His head was tilted slightly, just enough that Shizuo could make out that trademark smirk on his face.

"Slept well, sleeping beauty?" he grinned, letting himself fall on his back, his arms crossed behind his head.

The blond frowned. He was about to reply, but strange noises caught his attention and suddenly, he was wide awake.

"What´s that?"

"Oh wow, the protozoan finally noticed." A glare was shot towards the raven for that kind of comment so early in the morning, but he didn´t seem to even notice as he sat upright and glanced down the tree.

"Look. What did I tell you?" A frown forming on the brute's expression, he got up from the mattress in the tree- slightly shaking, he moved forward, leaves dropping on his back as he looked down to the ground. When he saw what it was that had made the noise though, he wished he hadn´t looked.

"See? I knew there would be one."

There was a dog. And it did not look friendly. Not at all- its eyes were white, glassy, just like those zombies' eyes. It bared its teeth and growled darkly at the tree.

Its paws were soaked in blood, and a stench was reaching the blond´s nostrils causing the all too familiar nausea to return.

He didn´t even want to imagine just what that dog had been doing before walking here...

"Good thing this tree is so tall," the raven muttered, still watching the creature as he pointed to the spot Shizuo had hit yesterday.

"The dent you made in the trunk almost let that dog up before. If you had punched just a bit higher up, that thing might even have been able to get up here." A shudder rippled through the blond´s body.

Up here?

While they slept?

"What are we going to do with it?"

Imagining waking up to a zombie dog staring at his face certainly made him feel uneasy. But the raven waved him off.

"I was just playing with it, no worries." And with that he tossed a knife down the tree, piercing the dog's skull easily.

Shizuo gulped- avoiding looking at the now dead creature as he tried to keep his stomach´s contents down... then again, he could have only retched. After they discovered this house yesterday, he hadn´t gotten anything to eat, anyway.

"You are really a creepy little shit sometimes," he mumbled as he turned towards their bags.

"Because I murdered it, or because I played with it?"

Play, huh?

"Both." He rummaged through the contents of his own bag that the raven had made him take.

Everything was still there, the muffins and sweets breads, just like he left it behind. Later, when he stopped feeling nauseous, he would treat himself with one of these.

"Are you getting ready, or do you want me to leave you behind?" The blond turned his head to look at his new companion when he spoke those words. It was only now that he realized that Izaya seemed to be ready to leave.

The backpack he had been carrying around was resting on his back, and he was sitting on the ledge, ready to take off.

"Any reason why you are in such a hurry?" Shizuo grumbled, a bit annoyed that he had just been woken up and already had to leave.

The raven shrugged. "Not really, but the hospital isn´t far from here, and I don´t know about you, but I would like to get there before the sun goes down again."

The blond frowned. Until now, he had forgotten where they were actually heading.

That stupid flea actually wanted to go to a hospital.

A freaking hospital.

"I still don´t get why you would want to go there," he mumbled, sliding the backpack onto his shoulders before jumping down the tree.

"No complaining, Shizu-chan, remember~?"

Yeah, yeah, he remembered.

...

Wait-

"We are near that hospital?" he repeated, only now realizing how odd what Izaya said was; after all, it seemed like they were in the middle of nowhere.

The raven blinked, then broke out into laughter as he looked at the blond´s confused expression.

"Shizu-chan, where do you think we are?" he asked, still laughing as he looked at the brute. Sometimes, he really was hilarious.

"Uh..." The blond let his eyes travel over the landscape.

There were only trees, grass and nature in sight- and that one house. It looked like they were somewhere pretty far away from the city... no?

"This is a park, Shizu-chan," the raven giggled, "or more like, a park and a private garden from one of those rich asses." He pointed over to the trees behind the house.

"See that?" The blond squinted, glancing over there. The sun had almost fully risen, and everything was shining in bright colors.

That´s when he spotted something.

"There is a roof behind that-"

"Bingo~!" the raven snorted, "I bet that's some kind of mansion from some really important businessman, or maybe yakuza? Who knows these days~" the raven sighed, pulling the car´s keys out of his pants pocket as he walked over to the car.

He was almost waiting for the blond to ask now why they didn´t go there- resulting in an annoying conversation where he would have to explain to the blond that going into maybe not so empty houses, was not a smart idea.

Though the question never came.

"... I see." It was only when Izaya slipped into the car´s seat and Shizu-chan still kept quiet that Izaya realized he wasn´t the only one who probably experienced that kind of thing.

Being surprised by unwanted residents, that is.

Hmm. Maybe he wouldn't have to babysit the brute as much as he thought after all.

Apart from the yelling in the middle of the city when they met, he had actually behaved. After all, his strength already ended up being useful.

A grin drew across the raven´s lips as an image of an obedient dog flashed through his mind.

The other door opened with a clack as the blond finally entered the car. A frown spread over his features.

"What are you grinning so creepily for?" The raven snorted.

"Oh nothing~"

As if.

The blond sighed as he let himself slip into the car´s seat. Throwing the backpack into the back of the car, the raven started the engine, finally rolling away from that place.

Shizuo tilted his head back a bit, glancing at their little hideout as they left. It was kind of a shame to leave it like this.

Looking up ahead again, he saw a sort of gate in the distance.

That flea had really driven straight into a park- or whatever this was.

He glanced to the side, watching the driver- a driver with a black eye.

Ah-

Now that he thought about it, that was his fault wasn´t it?

...

"Does that still hurt?" The raven blinked for a second, not having expected the question.

Oh. Right, the brute had been quite violent the last night- though considerably less violent than usual. Izaya had forgotten about it.

"Not really. Why do you care?" The raven raised a brow, answering his question with another question.

The blond frowned.

"Cuz you actually didn´t deserve it this time."

Well, this was a first.

Shizu-chan saying he didn´t deserve to get beaten up; he should be remembering the day this happened.

A frown appeared on his face, though, when he realized he had forgotten what the date was-

Without his computer, the daily routine, and things like the news, things like this were forgotten way too easily.

"... you said that on purpose didn´t you? You wanted me to flip out." Interesting. The blond was smarter than he thought.

"And why would that be?" To be honest, for once he didn´t even mind that the blond had seen through something he did.

It was kind of reassuring.

Travelling with a stupid imbecile would only be additional weight. Shizu-chan wasn´t as stupid as Izaya always made him seem to be though, even he knew that.

"Because... I don´t know, to make me feel better, I guess."

_Good perception Shizu-chan._

"By using violence?"

"Dunno, yeah."

"Well, did it work?" The blond nodded slightly, his head thudding against the window as he looked at the landscape passing by.

"Yeah."

"Then it´s all good." _All good he says..._

He still remembered how often he had hit the raven. Except for that black eye, he bet he had a couple bruises scattered all over his body.

"Next time, don´t make me use violence, though." The raven snorted, finally having reached the city's streets again.

Warily, he eyed a few of the creatures wandering around and turning towards them as soon as Izaya sped up. Gross.

"There will be no next time, Shizu-chan. We are driving together alone; if you ever have to mourn over someone dead again, then it would probably be me, and I doubt you would even mourn my death." The blond blinked at that, tearing his eyes away from the sight of three zombies staring at him from an alley they passed.

...

"Why do you think that?" Another turn was made and Shizuo realized they were already in Shirokanetakanawa, his eyes falling on one of the signs next to the street.

"Oh please, Shizu-chan, it´s nice you are trying so hard, but I know you hate me, and I hate you, too, the only mutual feeling we share, I guess. I don´t expect you to feel bad over me being gone."

...

He wasn´t so sure about that.

Sure, he hated Izaya, he seriously detested the flea and his annoying grin. But even now, when he thought about it, he didn´t feel the usual rage that filled his mind.

Right now, he was just kind of glad he was there. He was taking the lead, he seemed to have some kind of goal. To be honest, Shizuo didn´t even want to know what exactly Izaya´s plan was.

It felt better to just know that he at least had a plan, and to believe that it would be something to make everything better again.

Even if that was impossible.

"Though, once I really do die, remember to burn me, 'kay? The thought of turning into one of these things, or my corpse getting eaten by those creatures, is something I don´t want having to worry about."

... when he died?

... no way. A frown carved itself onto Shizuo´s expression as he snapped his head towards the flea.

"You aren´t going to die." It was a statement, something that almost sounded like a promise, as if he would make sure of that, but Izaya just laughed.

"Oh, I don´t plan on it either, I´m just saying it. Any last wish from your side? Want me to bury you with some nice flowers or something?" The blond frowned, imagining the raven next to his corpse.

"As if you would do that." He would probably laugh at him. Or just say one last time how stupid he was for dying.

Yeah, something like that would suit the flea.

"Who knows?" If Shizu-chan died... it would probably be because he got bitten. None of these things would be able to actually take him down.

If anything, then it would be a bite.

And that meant he would have to take Shizu-chan down on his own- which seemed about impossible. He wondered if he had realized that yet.

"Can we please stop talking about this?" It was the blond who had voiced the words.

He seemed to get more and more uncomfortable over this topic.

Heh, he was more sensitive than Izaya had thought. Was the thought of dying scaring him?

"We're here anyway," he announced, and with that, he halted the car.

They had reached the hospital.

And to Izaya's surprise, there were none of those creatures anymore.

He had already kind of prepared himself for an encounter with dozens of zombies, all waiting for them, gathering at the clinic, maybe some people having survived and hidden in there.

But honestly, the hospital just seemed empty.

Left behind.

The windows were broken, the doors open.

Nothing was moving in there.

Taking a few steps forward, he approached the front door; it was wide open.

The blond quickly got out of his seat, standing next to the car as he inspected the building. And then Izaya.

He was just walking there- seemingly without the slightest care.

Was he really that relaxed? Had he maybe already acknowledged that one of these creatures was going to get him sooner or later?

He didn´t get it.

How could he be so fearless?

...

Now that he thought about it, yesterday... Shizuo had realized that Izaya wasn´t exactly one that would survive in a survival of the fittest.

... did he realize that himself, too?

Stupid flea...

He would make it so there would never be a reason to burn anyone´s body. He wasn´t going to let the flea just die.

"I still think this is a stupid idea," he mumbled, catching up to the raven quickly. His hands were shoved in his pockets as he kept walking towards the gate, next to the flea.

His eyes were darting around, scanning the windows for any sign of movement.

"And I think I didn´t ask for your opinion." How could Izaya be so stubborn?

And then they stepped into the building.

A long hall was the first thing they saw.

And it got darker the farther it stretched. Shizuo didn´t like this at all.

Almost instinctively, he moved a step ahead of the raven.

"We aren´t going in there," he mumbled, quiet, to make sure no one except Izaya heard him, but the raven just quirked an eyebrow, brushing past the blond.

"Is Shizu-chan scared of the dark? Come on, it´s not like it´s pitch black in there. I just need to get something, then we can leave again." And with that, he started walking into that dark corridor.

Reluctantly, the blond followed his enemy. There was no way he could let him go in there alone. But... somehow, he had a really bad feeling about this.

-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of chapter 8 C:
> 
> Well, well~ Let´s just hope they won´t get themselves in trouble~ C; C; C; C;
> 
> I hope you liked this- hehe especially how Izaya mentioned his own death to Shizu-chan, ohohoho~
> 
> Yaya, things are a little more serious in an environment like that~
> 
> xD
> 
> Well then, sorry for being a tad late again C: Now I will update regularly again cx tho I will mention up ahead, that on sunday the 10th I won´t be able to update C: I will be on holiday, in Turkey for a week xD And considering how the wifi usually sucks balls I probably literally wouldn´t be able to post anyway xD
> 
> Other than that I will update every sunday tho *0*
> 
> Oh and also, I found some really awesome stories to read *-* aww I just adore her writing to be honest- maybe it´s just my opinion, but her writing really impressed me a great deal-
> 
> Please give this magnificent author some love~! She deserves it!
> 
> Riri1342- I tell you , she has seriously some talent there. *0* She wrote two stories, "The white king." and "Poles apart."
> 
> AND OMG
> 
> She has written one of the best SMUT scenes I have read in my life *^* I would even go and say it was the most erotic one I ever read- xD Seriously, she has a talent for the juicy parts~ xD And the poles apart story is just- aw damn. I love it. The angst, the tension, the confusedness of both omg
> 
> Shizaya of course xD
> 
> You gotta check her out *0*
> 
> Well then xD
> 
> See you next sunday~!


	9. ஜ Dangerous place ஜ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter 9 *^*
> 
> And SO SORRY for being so late ;^; Seriously sorry ;A; I took so long hnnn gomen :C
> 
> A couple of things came together and yaaahh- basically I was in turkey and the internet sucked so bad and I could neither access the fanfiction page, nor even send e-mail. So I kinda really was rendered unable to send my beta anything or update my profile. T-T And when I was home hnnnnnn oh well- Life happens xDD
> 
> Ohohohoho now the real stuff is starting~ xDDDD Sadly I didn´t really get to the climax yet, but oh damn yes- next time you will die reading xDD Gosh I love zombie stories- xDDD
> 
> But only when there is Shizaya in them x'DDD
> 
> Thank you for correcting this SoylentRamen!! *^*^*
> 
> Well then enough rambling *^* I got a little surprise for you in the end note so please don´t skip it x'D
> 
> Enjoy~!

 

-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

**-Shizuo´s point of view.-**

He didn´t like this.

Not at all.

No sound reached their ears as they walked down the corridor. The only noise to be heard was their own footsteps as Shizuo´s eyes darted around, scanning their surroundings. But they seemed to be alone.

For now.

It was not exactly bright in there. Shizuo couldn´t help but worry that another zombie dog would appear- not that the normal zombies weren´t scary enough, but the dogs creeped him out on a whole new level.

"Why do we even need to be in here?" No matter how he looked at it, this whole building screamed danger at him.

"Aw, is Shizu-chan scared?" The blond frowned at the stupid remark, glaring at the raven from behind as he shoved his hands into his pants pockets, stomping after the informant. He was the one who should be scared the most here.

"That doesn´t answer my question." He wasn´t going to start a fight now, though. Izaya would just keep annoying him if he didn´t persist on his line of thought.

The raven sighed and stopped in front of a door, his hand already resting on the door handle as he turned to face the blond.

"Fine, if you really need to know, I have to get some things from this hospital, things that I will only get here."

Now that he thought about it, Izaya said something like that when he first mentioned the hospital, didn´t he?

"You are still crazy for walking in here," the blond grumbled, but quietly enough that the flea didn´t hear it as he opened the door he had already wrapped his hand around.

Shizuo swore he felt his hair stand on end as the door creaked open.

He had expected a room filled with at least one or two zombies eating at a patient from the hospital, but it was actually empty. There was neither the imaginary patient, nor any zombie.

"What? Expected something to happen Shizu-chan?" The raven showed his trademark smirk, pissing the blond off even more.

"Oh, shut up."

Whatever did he even think he had to protect the flea for?

He must have been delirious. That louse could go die for all he cared. If he was stupid enough to run around in a hospital and treat his caution as a joke.

Turning around, he stepped back into the hall, leaning on the wall, his arms crossed as he waited for that flea to finish rummaging in those cupboards.

In the room, there were only two patient beds and Izaya was stirring in some cupboards opposite to them. What exactly it was he was looking for was a riddle even to Shizuo.

It only took a moment or two till the louse came out again, shaking his head as he strolled down the hall.

"Wasn´t there," he let the blond know, walking farther down the hall.

The lights were all out. Of course, electricity had stopped working a few days ago.

The entire floor was pretty much dark.

Almost black at the end of the corridor. It reminded Shizuo of those horror movies, where all of a sudden a girl in a white dress would appear, with blackness staring at whoever came instead of eyes. Or the other one, that woman whose mouth had been cut open from ear to ear and would do the same to you, or even kill you.

_Kuchisake-onna_ , that was her name wasn´t it?

Really now. This whole scenery around them seemed just too surreal to be true.

He wasn´t stupid, he knew this wasn´t exactly a zombie apocalypse. Those people weren´t dead, and if you hurt them well enough they would die, as well, not crawl after you.

But still.

It seemed way too much like a scene from one of those horror movies, those where everyone died at the end.

It was unsettling, to say the least.

Walking down a dark corridor only for something to be waiting for them.

…

"Oi, what exactly are you searching for?"

The raven glanced over this shoulder, looking at the blond for a second. He seemed surprised the blond had even started to talk again.

"Why do you want to know? Will you leave if it´s not anything you deem to be worth looking for?" The blond´s brows furrowed and he was about to deny it, but then again...

He did feel kinda more at ease when he didn´t know what exactly it was that the flea was planning on or searching for.

"Nevermind. Just thought we could get out of here faster if I helped look or something." He didn´t want to know after all.

"We will be out of here soon enough, don´t worry," Izaya assured, this time skipping on the chance of teasing the brute.

Izaya would be lying if he said he wasn´t anxious about this whole thing, but strangely enough, he felt a bit at ease with Shizu-chan walking behind him.

When he was alone, he always had to watch out for whatever could follow him or surprise him from behind.

Like this, it was actually not so bad.

He refused to admit that maybe Shizu-chan had been right when he implied that Izaya needed him when he offered to stick together for a while, but he knew he couldn´t exactly deny it completely either.

He was useful, at least.

With slower steps, Izaya approached the end of the corridor. A big double door was at the end of it, though he hesitated to open it this time.

The blond stopped when the flea did, a bit confused why he didn't walk on.

"Something wrong?" he mumbled, unintentionally lowering his voice.

The flea merely pointed towards the handle of the door.

It was smeared with red.

"Blood," he whispered and Shizuo could feel cold sweat run down his back.

His body tensed when the raven pushed the door open slowly. The knife had already found its way into Izaya´s hand, ready to stab whatever could be waiting for them there as the door creaked open.

Izaya squinted his eyes- the room being darker than the corridor- and tried to make out any sort of movement.

But there was none.

He pushed the door open with his foot, holding the blade in front of his body, ready to stab anything that dared to approach him.

With a slam so loud it made both of them jump when the door bumped against the wall.

Izaya could feel the blond´s hand on his shoulder as he pushed himself slightly in front of the raven. Almost as if to make sure nothing would get Izaya. It was kinda reassuring, though scary at the same time, as Izaya checked over his shoulder if nothing was approaching them from behind now.

The noise surely could have lured some more of those things here.

But nothing.

Izaya released the breath he hadn´t noticed he had been holding as he slipped the knife back into his pocket.

There were noises.

Noises that awfully sounded like they were coming from those things.

But they were muffled, as if they were coming from another room. It was only when the raven took a step into the room that he noticed the red on a metal door.

He suspected it was a store room.

Scratching, screams, growling, he heard them all come from behind, a cupboard having been moved in front of the door additionally and a broom locking the door as well.

The words "DEAD INSIDE" written all over it with what Izaya believed to be blood.

Whether it was from storage or an injured person, he couldn't tell.

"We are not going to open that." It was Shizuo who had stated that, and this time, Izaya could only agree.

"I wasn´t going to." It was obvious someone had been here, though. Someone that was not yet a zombie, if he was able to write those words on the door.

Whether or not that was a good thing was something that Izaya couldn´t decide on yet.

It was only then that he noticed what kind of room they were in. The strangely shaped lights at the ceiling and the instruments resting on a shelf next to one of those strangely shaped beds gave it away immediately.

An operation room.

Perfect.

Shizuo watched the raven as he moved over to some cupboards next to the operation table, but the noises coming from the door soon caught his attention again.

Just how many of those were in there…?

He had a feeling he didn´t want to know that piece of information. He had seen way too many of them already. Just the thought of more of those things waiting there to gnaw at him made his stomach churn violently.

He had had enough of this, to be honest. Just enough. He wished he could just go to some place, somewhere safe and stay there, away from all this.

Pretend this didn´t happen.

Though… that was a wish that would never come true.

"Let´s leave this place already-" he mumbled, more to himself and only half-heartedly, since he knew Izaya wasn´t going to leave earlier because of him, but he still voiced the thought.

Glancing over, he only saw Izaya closing his bag again as he pulled it on his back.

"Shizu-chan, you always get so tense around dark places," he cooed, trying to tease the blond, but right now said protozoan really was too tired and fed up with everything to even get mad.

"Not because of dark places. Because of these," he stated, pointing over to the door, the scratching still audible, of course.

A little surprised by the tranquility in Shizu-chan´s voice, the raven walked towards the door they came from. He didn´t feel like prying, though.

"I think I saw a sign pointing to showers back there." The familiar word made the blond look at the raven.

"Shower?" Somehow Izaya felt a bit bad for Shizu-chan. Right now he kinda looked like a kicked puppy. He didn´t know why, though. Was it those creatures behind the door?

What happened to Kasuka? Or maybe something else?

This whole atmosphere?

"You might want to wash yourself, too," he stated, looking at the blond from head to toe. He was still wearing the same clothes. They were red and brown, dried blood and dirt covering them. He doubted Shizu-chan had even had the chance to change into a shirt that did _not_ have his little brother´s blood on it.

It was only when Shizuo looked down at his shirt that he seemed to realize though; suddenly feeling revolted by what was clinging to his body, he stomped out of the room.

"Down the right corridor." Izaya spoke as he followed the fortissimo.

He was right, the sign pointing to a washroom all too soon appeared on the wall, and Shizuo went a bit faster.

The closer he came, the more he felt almost suffocated.

Izaya had to almost run to keep up with the blond as he headed for the shower.

Well, if he had just killed his own brother and the blood was still sticking to him, he would probably want to get clean, too. To be honest, he was surprised Shizu-chan hadn´t said anything about that before.

He might not even have really thought about it, was what Izaya concluded.

Not minding the blond who disappeared in the mentioned room, Izaya strolled into a different corridor.

Just as before there was nothing there, no zombie, no survivors, nothing. It was just silent.

He still kept his flick blade ready, though, just in case. He entered another room, not a shower room, but a plain patient room.

Empty, as well.

He moved over to one of the cupboards, hoping to find some fresh clothes there.

There was no chance he was going to leave his coat behind, but it would be nice to have a change of his shirt and pants.

He sighed when he found some clothes- only in white, though. He preferred black... but oh well, these would have to do for now.

He was sure they would find some different clothes in the city later. He planned on stocking up on food and other supplies anyway.

Hearing the noise of rushing water, he picked two shirts from the cupboard, as well as some pants that were at least grey.

It sure would be strange to see that brute walk around in something other than his stupid bartender outfit. He had no idea why he was even still wearing it, considering he was a bodyguard for Tanaka.

With cautious steps, he moved back to the showers. The water was thrumming against the white tiles in an almost calming manner, while the gnawing noises of the zombies in the operation room where still to be heard. It was a weird kind of contrast.

The shower room reminded him a bit of Raira´s, to be honest. Four neat little shower stalls with hip-high walls parting them lined the wall. White tiles covered everything, and two little windows opposite the showers were illuminating the room well enough to actually see quite well.

The white of the floor and walls was contributing to that, too, he guessed.

"I got some fresh clothes." With a thud he dropped the clothes on one of the window ledges in the bathroom.

Shizu-chan didn´t say anything, however. Izaya didn´t really look over at where Shizu-chan was washing himself, but even from the corner of his eyes he could see the rapid movements- the hands moving over his shoulders with a piece of soap time and time again- if he didn´t know better, he would say Shizu-chan was up to break a record of cleaning himself the best anyone ever did.

He guessed it was disgust that made him shut up and act like that. Without another word he pulled of his own clothes, getting into one of the stalls, as well.

It was only when the ice cold water hit his skin and he jumped in surprise that he remembered how not everything was working anymore like he was used to.

No electricity, no warmth, seriously... this was probably one of the last times he was going to be able to enjoy something simple like this. A shower.

And he hated cold showers-

Rinsing off his body, he hissed a bit when he let a piece of soap that he found in there brush over some cuts and scratches.

Sure, he had survived pretty well so far, no serious injuries or even minor ones, but there sure had been times where he wasn´t so sure if he would make it out alive.

Hearing the other shower stop, he glanced over at the brute as he grabbed a towel dangling from a hook in the wall.

Strange, wasn´t it?

He was in an abandoned hospital showering with that brute.

Seriously, not even he could have seen that coming.

He would have laughed about the absurdity of this whole situation if he weren´t so tired and fed up with this himself.

But hey, at least he had a plan to follow.

He tilted his head back, closing his eyes for a bit as he let the cool liquid drip on his face. They shouldn´t stay here too long, he guessed, but right now, he felt kind of comfortable. It was so calm. Sure, there were those creatures in the other room and they weren´t exactly safe here either.

But right now he felt at ease.

The next time he opened his eyes, Shizuo wasn´t standing next to him anymore. A glance over his shoulder revealed that he had seen the clothes; he was buttoning up the short-sleeved white shirt Izaya had brought.

As if he had noticed Izaya's glance, the blond looked up, pausing with the buttons for a second. A sigh escaped his lips and he sat down on the floor, letting his back lean on the wall, a hand moving the towel over his hair to dry it off.

"Thanks."

Izaya blinked, a bit surprised at receiving gratitude for bringing the brute some clothes, but he figured it wasn´t exactly something he hated.

With a sort of sigh he turned around again, finishing his shower.

This... was really a strange set of events. Grabbing the towel that hung next to the shower, he pulled it over his head, ruffling through his black hair.

Really strange indeed.

If he thought about it, he remembered some philosophical quote, though he really couldn´t remember the exact wording anymore, nor the man who said it.

Just that it was about humanity stopping wars and working together if they had to face a common threat.

It reminded him a bit of their situation.

He and Shizuo working together, it really was a miracle of the same degree as wars stopping.

Nodding to himself, he noted to categorize that man as wise instead of stupid. He hadn´t believed that sort of thing would work for real at the time he heard it.

Shivering just the slightest, he stepped out of the shower only to the see the blond... sleeping?

Izaya quirked an eyebrow, stepping closer to eye that brute. He was still sitting there, one leg propped up and an arm laid over it, his head using it as a pillow.

For a second, Izaya thought he was just dozing a bit, though from the even breaths it was obvious he was sleeping.

Even more so when he poked him softly on his forehead and received no reaction.

Really now.

He couldn´t believe that brute could actually sleep here. He was the one saying they should disappear from here as soon as possible.

He guessed the brute got a little bit too comfortable.

He couldn´t blame him, though.

Pulling on his own set of clothes, as well as his coat, he walked out of the room.

To be honest, he had no intention of waking the brute yet- you could call it an act of kindness, but sleep was probably the only thing that really let anyone escape from this horror-movie-like reality.

He didn´t plan on tearing him away from that yet.

He would go get his bag from the operation room and wash those instruments before they left. The blond could sleep while he did that alright.

Walking down the hall again, he entered the operation room.

Only to instantly freeze-

The door was busted open.

The door of the storage room.

But the zombies, they were…

"What the hell…?"

... torn apart?

  


-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of chapter 9 C:
> 
> Ahahahahaha well, what the freaking hell did happen there?
> 
> Who knows~? C:
> 
> The more important question is: What´s going to happen to Izzy~? C: C: C: C: C: C: C: ahahahahah I´m evil
> 
> Anyway xD I got news for you! xD
> 
> I will be starting another two stories *^* xD
> 
> Now before people say this is a bad idea since then it´s 6 ongoing stories in total, no worries C:
> 
> I will be updating 3 stories each weekend. As you can see on my profile (where I will always post which chapters are coming out)
> 
> Next Sunday (24th.6.2016), I will update "The wish to disappear" 27, "Sinful desire" chapter 1 and "Survival of the doomed" 10
> 
> Together! with the PICTURE of twtd chapter 1 xD I didn´t forget haha nuh worries~ you will be getting the art I promised C: I hope it won´t disappoint you though x'D Giving my best here xD
> 
> And the following Sunday (31st.6.2016) I will update "No escape" 8, "Behind closed doors" 10 and "A single touch" chapter 1 *0* together with "I want to stay with you forever" chapter 38, the sexy chapter~ C; C; C; C; C;
> 
> The Sunday after that (7th.7.2016) I will update again "The wish to disappear" 28, "Sinful desire" 2 and "Survival of the doomed" 11 C;
> 
> And so on
> 
> So basically I will always update 3 stories each Sunday from now on C: And maybe an extra one shot or picture additionally, depends C; 4 updates a week were kinda a bit stressy to pull off for a long time span so I decided to settle for this instead C;
> 
> Also this way actually leaves me a lot more time to think about the actual plot, I mean I have 14 days from now on, like wow, if I get stuck I need not worry cuz the next update is only set in 14 days xD I need this especially since I´m slowly but surely getting drained for spontaneous ideas for Twtd and No escape xD
> 
> Moreover, I was just BURNING to write those two other stories xDDDD With all these dark stories, I was craving to write some smut xDD So hey~ If you miss the sexy times too you might like the "Sinful desire"~ C; xD And also, I kept getting ideas for "A single touch" (the rape story that was in my poll) so I just figured, if I´m already writing at it anyway I might as well post it xD
> 
> So hey~ Long author´s not is long xD
> 
> See you next Sunday C;


	10. ஜ Trembling hands ஜ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter 10 *^*
> 
> Just a quick reminder, this is updating every second week now, so I will see you next time in chapter 11 on Sunday the 7th C; 3
> 
> Thank you very much for correcting SoylentRamen!!! *^*
> 
> Well then, let´s not hold you up any longer xD
> 
> Enjoy~!

 

 

 

 

-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

**-Izaya´s point of view-**

Slowly, his whole mind now in fight or flight mode, he took a step back, glancing over his shoulder, scanning the room.

There was nothing, but something told him that they should get out of here.

Immediately-

Blood was rushing in his veins, anxiety thrumming through him as he ran back to the shower.

That stupid brute- he couldn´t believe he could just fall asleep in a place like this-

And now... what had even happened back there?! Those creatures, they were torn apart-

The door was ripped open, and in the short timespan he had had to grasp the situation, he realized a tremendously unsettling fact. The way the door had been torn apart, the way the metal had been bent outwards, there was no mistake-

That door had been bust open from _inside_ out.

"Oi, brute!" he already called from afar, this time not minding if he was loud or not- his eyes were darting around anyway, and if whatever broke that door open met him, then he wouldn´t bet his luck on the fact that it wouldn´t be able to see him if he were silent-

Because if that thing burst through a metal door from inside, then it definitely wouldn´t go down from a single knife to the head-

One glance right-

He was running.

Left-

Nothing was there _yet_.

It was quiet, dark; shivers were running down his spine as he finally reached the shower after what felt like an eternity.

"Get up, protozoan, something isn´t right here." The blond snapped out of his sleep, almost jumping in his own skin when the raven barked at him.

It took a second for him to understand that the raven was not just teasing him. The expression he wore was way too serious to be a joke-

"What?" He pushed himself off the ground, letting his own head snap around to look at his surroundings. He couldn´t believe it- he fell asleep didn´t he? What the fuck-

What was he even thinking?!

"Something broke the storeroom´s door from inside and tore up all the creatures-" Izaya spoke so quickly he almost bit his tongue as he glanced behind him in the corridor.

It was still dark there, just as before-

But then he noticed it and time seemed to freeze-

The door next to him.

Opened just barely.

Looking at him from there.

Hiding, lurking- _waiting_ -

Eyes in rotting flesh.

He didn´t even have time to react when the door burst open- that ... _thing_ \- creature- he had no name for it- he wasn´t even able to flinch before he felt the pressure on his chest.

His eyes flew open in pain as he was pushed inside the room, against the opposing wall-

**_*CRACK*_ **

A gasp escaped his lips.

His ribs-

The tiles behind him-

The rotten eyes were staring at him, but looking, stronger than any of those he had met so far. The flesh had already rotted off the body, leaving the image of a man that looked like he was supposed to be long dead-

What the hell was that?!

Air-

Izaya gasped his mouth open to breathe but he was choking; the thing was opening its mouth- wide- wider than any, revealing those death-bringing, infecting teeth- he squeezed his eye shut- he didn´t want to see this-

And then there was a slam, a crack, the sound of something shattering and the pressure lifted- making room for an intense wave of pain.

A mop of blond hair invaded his sight as he saw the head of that creature roll on the floor-

It was busted right of that thing´s neck, a dent in its cheek that resembled a fist.

Shizuo heaved, the adrenaline still pumping through his veins like crazy. What the hell was that?!

It was definitely not one of those regular zombies! It could see! It was strong as hell- and fast- he saw the flea getting pushed inside so fast and then when he was about to bite Izaya- fuck-

He turned to the flea, not even a second having passed as the shock settled in his system-

Izaya was sliding down the wall-

It all happened in a second. Izaya´s face consorted in pain and he squeezed his eyes shut, slowly sliding down the broken wall, his legs giving way beneath him.

Shizuo reached out his arms, grabbing the raven by his shoulders, but he just slumped down and Shizuo followed, dropping to his knees as he tried to keep the raven upright.

"Izaya-!"

His chest heaved heavily up and down. Panicking, Shizuo searched, searched for bite marks, searched for an injury but... There was none!

"Heh... come to think of it, Namie was right, wasn´t she? With my shitty karma, I would be next after Kururi was what she said haha-" And then there was blood.

Coughing- it was trickling down the corner of the raven´s mouth.

In horror, Shizuo watched the scene in front of him unfold-

"Shut up, Izaya- where did it hurt you?!" His arms tightened unintentionally around the raven´s shoulders- they were shaking.

He didn´t know what to do- and that idiot just had to grin!

He didn´t know what to do- and that idiot just had to grin!

"You said I should shut up-" Shizuo almost felt something snap at that remark. He understood.

He understood completely.

"IZAYA!" But he didn´t want to see it. He didn´t want to acknowledge that Izaya wasn´t doing anything because it might be too late already- because there just was something so wrong it couldn´t be fixed.

And then it came.

"It's useless, Shizuo." He was panting, obviously strained to say anything at all as his brows furrowed deeper with every sound he made.

"It cracked ... my ribs..." Another cough followed, more blood tricking from his mouth.

Shizuo felt cold, heard his blood rush through his veins as he desperately tried to figure out what to do- just what-

What?!

His thoughts were running crazy at the attempt of thinking this away, of trying to find a hint that would make him realize this was just a bad dream.

This couldn´t happen- No way.

Not now.

Not at all!

The flea´s lips curled into a sort of smirk, he looked like he had already fucking accepted it- Accepted what?!

"I am one lucky bastard. One of those ribs must have pierced my lung, if not even more. I can barely even breathe." It was true.

He was barely breathing.

He coughed violently, more and more blood dropping out of the corner of his mouth. His eyes were falling closed; it was only then that Shizuo unfroze from his shocked state.

"Oi- stay awake! Izaya-! Talk to me!"

"Haha, what a request... here I'm shutting up for once, and you want me... to talk..." His eyes were drooping more and more, fluttering shut only to open slowly again- "Has been nice with you."

Trembling.

"Fuck- can´t we do anything?!" Anything! Anything at all, he would do it! He was dead set on doing it whatever it was!

This couldn´t be happening!

The raven frowned, his eyes squeezing shut for a second and Shizuo couldn´t determine whether it was from pain or annoyance over his question.

"Don't be ridiculous. You would need to operate on me." The words were hissed, barely audible anymore- and Shizuo knew he was probably joking, but he didn´t give a fuck right now.

"Alright, how?!"

Operating. He would do it.

He had no fucking clue how.

But he would do it.

One eye cracked open, eyeing the blond as if to make sure had heard correctly.

"You are kidding, right?" But the eyes he met were not joking. If anything, they looked panicked. Panicked, but serious.

"No, so tell me what to do!" Izaya could still feel the brute´s hands on his shoulder, keeping him upright. He had noticed already how bad they were shaking.

What was it that made Shizu-chan act that way? The thought of seeing someone die? The thought of being left alone? Why was he so desperate?

The hands were still trembling.

"Seriously, Shizuo, if you cut me open, I´m gonna die anyway." It wasn´t even about Shizu-chan being too stupid to pull it off.

There even were proper tools in the operation room for something like this, but from what he saw that blond wasn´t even in any condition to fix a normal random injury not to speak of an operation.

Trembling like this, freaking out, panicking- he wasn´t even going to start about how he was even going to make a clean cut.

"Izaya, I said-"

"Here-" and then Izaya pointed to his chest.

Whatever.

The chance of surviving like this was pretty slim.

And if he messed up... then it would be Shizu-chan who killed him and not one of these things- that option didn't sound too bad. He would make him the monster he was.

Too bad no one would be there to witness it.

His breathing was getting shallower, dizziness was assaulting him.

Again he pointed to the place it hurt the most.

"Right here, you would have to make a small cut. Use the tools in the operation room. Hypothetically. Keep it small. Pull the broken rib out or move it away or whatever." The blond could do nothing than to sit there and take in the information he was being given.

Memorize it.

Make a cut, he said.

Pull the broken thing out, he said.

The tools, right, there was an operation room- Even in this kind of situation, Izaya could think about these kind of things.

"Sew up the part of the lung that´s .. dam..aged..."

Silence.

Shizuo´s eyes widened.

"Izaya?!"

But the raven kept silent.

Silent.

"Oi, Izaya!" His eyes were closed- he couldn´t be dead right?!

No, no way-

But there was movement.

Slow, barely visible, but it was there, the rising and falling of Izaya´s chest.

He had passed out.

Fuck-

As if on autopilot, he heaved the informant off the floor. Even if you had asked him, he couldn´t have been able to remember if he even remembered to be gentle with him.

Hands just scooped the flea into his arms- the flea was way lighter than what he imagined him to be.

Scrawny, the coat was loosely hanging down just like his arm-

The tools he had to get those tools first-

And so he ran.

The room was reached so fast- he didn´t even pause to look for any zombies- but even if there had been one, he doubted he would have even paid any attention to it.

Without losing any precious time, he placed the raven on the operation desk.

His eyes were still squeezed shut- in pain- not moving-

"Fuck. Don´t die, Izaya, you hear me?" A scalpel, a needle, even a thread was found within seconds.

"Izaya, don't die." The mantra continued.

He knew Izaya couldn´t hear him- he knew it pretty well, he wasn´t stupid. He had passed out, whether it was just from pain or because he was about to-

No. No he wasn´t going to think about this now-

The tools were slammed on a small desk next to the table. Without a second thought, he shoved the shirt up to the raven´s chin.

There was a huge bruise on his chest- probably from the vessels that had broken during the impact and a lot of them considering how dark it was already- he had had enough injuries to know how mad bruises could look.

Izaya had been coughing up blood- there had to be something very wrong- and yet- when he brought that blade onto the raven´s skin he couldn´t avoid seeing how bad his hands were shaking.

He seemed to freeze-

He knew he had to act fast, but he couldn´t move-

If he didn´t do this correctly, Izaya was going to die. He was going to die.

And it would be his fault.

His fault for falling asleep, his fault for not being next to that flea when that thing appeared. He had been determined to protect the flea.

To make sure nothing happened to him, to make sure he didn´t die, but what now?!

A hand found its way into his hair as he took a step back, the blade leaving the raven´s pale skin again.

He had to calm the fuck down and do this like Izaya told him to, and yet he was practically frozen. The blade was in his hand but how was he supposed to cut into Izaya?!

How?!

His glance trailed down to the silver only to freeze yet again-

His hand- it was still bloody, soiled, from that creature´s head-

His eyes widened and for a second he felt nauseous. If he had cut right now and not freaked out, he would have infected Izaya with this shit.

Dropping the blade he looked at the unconscious raven.

"How am I supposed to do this?" it was just a quiet whisper that left his lips in this very quiet room.

He couldn´t do this.

But then Izaya would die.

Izaya probably expected to die. Shizuo didn´t think he actually considered that he would succeed. He knew that much.

He already figured that Izaya would probably be okay with that. That he already accepted that he was gonna die-

How? How could he do that sort of thing?!

And then it came to Shizuo.

What would Izaya say if he saw him right now?

If he were here?

What would he say?

_What are you freaking out for?_

Yeah, maybe that.

_Please Shizu-chan, I knew you were stupid but to that degree? Calm down already. You are not working magic here._

Now that sounded like him.

Yeah, he would say that.

He would tell him to calm down, he would treat it like it was no big deal despite gravity of the situation.

Swallowing once more, he stepped over to one of the cupboards.

He hoped to find a pair of gloves, but something else fell into his hands.

Alcohol. The pure kind, of course.

He could use this-

He had to calm down.

_Calm down._

Izaya told him what to do- and if he didn´t do anything at all, then he would die anyway, wouldn´t he?

Did he want that? No.

No, he didn´t want that.

The burning liquid was poured over his hands as Shizuo washed himself off as well as he could.

_Calm down._

He would calm down. The shivering ceased as the remains of that zombie´s head washed away.

He would pull this off somehow. He turned around; the bottle with alcohol was placed on the small desk, his eyes searching for the cupboard he had found the blade in. He would use a new one, of course.

Cool silver touched the pale skin once more.

"Don´t die on me, Izaya, okay?"

  


-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of chapter 10 C:
> 
> AHAHAHAHAAH Well fuck Izaya~ xDDDD
> 
> hehe I bet you wonder how this is going to continue and also imagine, what the long term mental effects to Shizuo will be like *0*0*0* gosh I´m so evil xD
> 
> Well well
> 
> So see you on Sunday the 7th *0*0*0*0* and don´t forget *^* "Sinful Desire" the incubus story is being updated in a few hours *0*0*0*0*
> 
> I decided to make it a little longer since it´s the first chapter so I might be a tiny winy bit late with that one xD Just a few hours tho haha
> 
> And ALSO  
> Check out my AO3 account! I updated the promised picture or twtd chapter 1 there *0* For all those that don´t know, it´s in the " Story pictures & stuff C: C;" story xD
> 
> I hope you like it ;/; xD
> 
> Well then, with that being said, see you in 14 days *0*0*0*


	11. ஜ Salty drops ஜ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter 11!! *0* xD
> 
> Well then, now let´s see how Shizuo deals with an unconscious, hurt flea C:
> 
> Sorry- for being late too- :C Time kinda slipped away from me way too fast xD But no worries, except for twtd 28 and SD2 being updated tomorrow everything will remain as scheduled xD
> 
> Now thank chu for the wait~
> 
> Thank you very much for correcting SoylentRamen!!! *^*
> 
> Enjoy~!

\--๑-๑ **ஜ** ๑-*0*-๑ **ஜ** ๑-๑--

**\---Shizuo´s point of view---**

"Please, Izaya-"

_Don´t die._

_Please don´t die._

The thought kept repeating inside the blond´s head as he stood there- staring.

He was done... at least, he thought he was.

He cut where the raven had told him to- he tried to keep away the blood that had suddenly started flowing- Panic was taking control as he tried to remember what the raven had said and tried to think of what Shinra had been doing when he came to him for injuries.

After all, he had watched Shinra sew him shut a couple times after removing a bullet of some sort or any other projectile he had had rammed into his body.

But now?

When he was the one doing it? On someone else that didn´t have a body as sturdy as his?

It wasn´t like what he expected at all. Nausea had made itself known all too soon, and thinking about it now had a similar effect on the blond as he tried to just hold his hands still for a second.

Now they were shaking nonstop- ever since he finished the stitches.

He couldn´t get that image out of his head.

He was done, wasn´t he? Did he forget anything? Did he do anything that would be bad? Fuck, he had no clue. After washing his hands, with the alcohol he had found and doing the same with the instruments, he just did as told.

He made a cut.

He wiped the blood away because he couldn´t see too well.

Then there was what he thought a rib would look like- a broken rib, that is. He had no idea what to do with it.

Izaya just said pull it out or whatever, but he couldn´t just remove it right? Whenever he had something broken, the doctors didn´t remove any bones from him, either; usually you waited for them to heal, right?

So he only moved it- god, just the memory of it made him nauseous again.

Fuck.

He felt like choking.

Did he do anything wrong? Fuck, if he messed up then he wouldn´t even know for sure-

Or wait, no, he would know- yeah, alright, he would know he messed up, the second Izaya stopped breathing.

Anxious, the blond shifted a bit closer to the raven, watching his chest rise and fall. He was still breathing. Only shallow, and too slow for Shizuo´s liking, but he was, wasn´t he?

Sunlight was only barely illuminating the room anymore. Shizuo hadn´t kept track of time, and there was no clock in sight- but it sure felt as if it had been hours he had been standing there. Just staring. Hands trembling all the while.

"Izaya, wake up, won´t you,” he mumbled, ruffling through his own hair in the attempt to find some comfort. Talking so he would hear at least some kind of noise in this room.

It was so quiet.

No noise, no nothing. Izaya would be rambling- hell, anyone else would be rambling now, maybe, if only to pass time, or make at least some noise so Shizuo would know he wasn´t alone, but right now-

Izaya was quiet.

Everything was quiet.

"I can´t do this shit alone, Izaya,” the blond mumbled, his forehead shifting into his very familiar frown as he glanced towards the source of this mess.

He couldn´t do it. Not alone. What the hell would he even keep fighting those things for?

What for?

He couldn´t even protect a single person. He had to shoot his brother, his friend, they all died-

And now Izaya, too?

“Izaya you can´t die, you stupid flea, you hear me?!” He was freaking out. He couldn´t do this.

The room with the torn up zombies was still there, the door busted open from inside.

What was that, even!? That thing that had approached them, it was definitely not just an average zombie. It was stronger, Shizuo had felt the resistance when he busted its head off its neck.

It was definitely stronger, and faster, and what irked him the most was that it seemed like it had been able to see.

A bad feeling started to creep into the blond´s mind as he started scanning their surroundings more and more, anxiousness taking over for a second and making his hair stand on end.

He was still just in this operation room. Izaya laying on the operation desk. And no sound reached the blond´s ears- yet he couldn’t help but feel anxious.

It might be because of what happened, but he didn´t want to stay here even a second longer. The thought of having to wait here, not knowing when or if the flea would wake up again- no.

The blond took a few steps and approached the door to the operation room, glancing into the dark corridor.

Nothing was there.

He had to get out of here with the flea. He didn´t know where to yet, but even staying in a tree sounded safer to him right now than staying in this fucking hospital.

Hesitantly, he approached the raven once more. His face had paled considerably, and his brows were still knitted into a pained frown, but he didn´t wake up.

…

Fuck.

This was so messed up, so fucking messed up.

He tried to take his mind of everything and just concentrate on one single task.

Get the flea out of here.

He could just lift that operation desk and carry it with him, making it so the raven wouldn’t be moved too much. But then again- the idea of something jumping onto that thing or the raven rolling off it and falling to the ground or falling down somewhere else, right into the grasp of some dead zombie was just too horrifying to hang onto that idea.

Carrying the flea on his back sounded like a better option. He would have to move slowly, but that wasn’t a problem, he wasn´t in a hurry, he just wanted out of here and with a light pole in his hands he would be able to knock any of these assholes out without them even getting near.

… yeah. He liked that option better.

The sun was already setting. Looking over into the corner of the room, Shizuo spotted the all too precious backpack Izaya had been carrying around.

…

He lifted it, not looking inside, and placed it gently next to the operation desk. Whatever it contained clicked softly; the blond figured something fragile was in there, but he didn´t look.

He didn´t want to know what the flea had planned.

… He would take it with him, for when the flea woke up. Izaya would be pissed if he just left it there for sure, right?

His own bag already rested in the very same room. He hadn´t taken it with him before when he went to the showers.

Hesitantly, the blond shifted over to the operation desk once more.

He didn’t want to worsen the flea´s condition.

But he wanted to get out-

The bandages he had wrapped around the flea after somehow sewing the wound closed were already starting to get stained with red.

For a second, he reconsidered, wondering if it really was a good idea to move the flea at all- but the stench of dead zombies still filling the room made him stick to his plan after all.

He wanted out of here. The room itself felt like it was suffocating him. He felt that if he stayed here for even a second longer, he would go insane.

Carefully, the blond slid his hands beneath the raven´s back. With a frown, he noticed that not only had he paled, but also gotten cold. Being only concerned with whether he did the right things while operating on the flea, he hadn´t even noticed that the temperature had dropped.

He pulled him up, carefully, making it so Izaya almost sat there in an upright position, the flea´s forehead resting on his shoulder.

Over and over, Shizuo kept glancing at the flea´s face, if he was in any pain or if he made anything worse- but the flea was completely out of it still, eyes closed. The pained frown on his face stayed exactly the same no matter what he did.

A hand was slid over, pulling the raven´s legs off the table while the other secured him in his position, making him sit on the edge of the bed. Shizuo turned around quickly, crouching down just enough that the raven would tilt forward against his back and slide forward, efficiently slipping the raven off the bed.

He shifted a bit, positioning the raven in the middle of his back.

He already feared that the flea would slip off- or that the wound he stitched closed would re-open.

Fuck.

It was weird.

He hated the flea, sure he did, he never wanted anything else than for that flea to be gone from his life- but now?

That stupid louse couldn´t die. He wasn´t allowed to!

Tightening his hold around the raven´s legs, he bent forward, pulling the bags over his head and making it so they hung down from his neck.

He could do this. The flea was going to be okay, and going to be as annoying as he had always been, for sure. He would find a place to stay. A safe place.

And then he would just wait until the flea woke up again.

He was just sleeping, right? Yeah.

Just like he did before.

Tch- shaking his head to chase away the feeling of guilt that slowly crept into his mind, he walked out of the operation room.

What happened was his fault, and he knew it.

If he hadn´t simply fallen asleep in the bathroom, then that thing wouldn´t have had even the chance to get to close to the flea- but like this?

He wasn´t fast enough- when that thing dashed towards Izaya, he simply was too far away. He could have fucking thrown it away. But no.

Of course he had to sleep.

Fucking sleep.

Guilt, regret and worry were nagging at him more than he would like to admit.

He couldn´t lose Izaya like this. Not now.

The corridor was even darker than before as he walked towards the entrance of the building.

_“Though, once I really do die, remember to burn me, okay?”_

The blond paused in his steps, the sentence just popping up in his mind from before they walked into this building.

He wouldn´t die.

No.

He refused to let him die.

He could hear him breathe, his head was resting on Shizuo´s shoulder. He could hear the shallow but even breaths of air.

He wasn´t going to die.

No.

He slammed the door of the hospital open, finally being free- and stood still.

There they were.

Those fucking assholes.

A vein popped on his forehead and his hands started shaking once more. But this time they didn´t shake in fear, no-

Gently, very gently, he crouched down, leaning the flea onto the wall of the building.

Groaning was to be heard, and he could already hear the creatures step closer. A dozen were walking around in front of the hospital.

His teeth were gritted and his eyes filled with rage as he turned around. There was a light pole next to the entrance. It wasn´t lit but very much what Shizuo had looked for. His hand closed around the cold metal.

"You freaking bastards…” If just this fucking virus hadn´t spread. If these assholes just weren´t there-

Loudly, the metal cracked, drawing every last zombie´s attention towards the blond as he ripped the rod out of the ground.

“THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" 

Rage.

Violence. He didn´t know any other way to deal with emotions that were too hard to talk about. Emotions that he couldn´t put into words.

He couldn´t stop the string of thoughts revolving in his head over and over-

Crashing, creaking of metal, screaming and groaning of zombies echoed through the air as he just went berserk.

Blood splattered, intestines dropped to the ground as he swung that pole down on five of them.

The noises attracted more and more of the zombies, but Shizuo didn´t even care on his killing spree.

He wouldn´t let a single one of these bastards pass behind him.

He would protect that flea.

Yeah, that stupid louse that he always wanted to kill, he would make sure he survived now.

Yeah. The flea.

The blond paused, heaving. By now, only a few of the zombies were left. Three of them, slowly approaching him.

He would make sure no one hurt the louse any more than he already was.

Without even blinking or sparing a thought on how these things were still humans, he shoved the pole forward, stabbing all three of them with the iron.  

Warm, disgusting blood stained his face, but he didn´t even care as he rammed the metal into the ground once more, making it so the groaning bastards had no way to get off this thing.

And with that, he turned around.

More zombies approached the scene, but they weren’t walking towards the blond anymore. They only heard the screaming of the three stabbed ones.

Slowly but surely, they gathered around the pole, not hearing anything else that would be worth chasing. After all, Shizuo was quiet.

Izaya was quiet.

There was no one else there to give off any sound.

With the raven back on his back, Shizuo walked away from the scene.

Zombies walked by, but they didn´t even notice him.

Houses passed, but Shizuo didn´t even think about going inside one of them.

A tree, placed in a middle of a traffic island was his only destination.

He passed the car they had driven, the car that Izaya had used to drive him crazy, speeding like there was no tomorrow. Talking without a care in the world, sounding like everything was just a bad dream and they would wake up soon.

Peaceful.

He crawled up the tree; using his monster strength, he got up there without any difficulty, fingers slipping inside the trunk as if it were pudding until he reached the top.

He had no mattress this time. But there were two thick branches that aligned close to each other. Hanging the bags onto slightly thinner branches, he let the raven slip off his back. One hand keeping him in place, the other pulling off his shirt and spreading it over the wooden bed.

It wasn´t much, but better than nothing.

He laid the flea down on it- his hands started to shake again.

He was still breathing. 

And then it was quiet again.

Despite the flea being physically there, he was alone.

Really alone. 

It was quiet. 

So quiet. 

Izaya would be rambling now. 

He would be telling him stuff. Maybe something about stars again, maybe some other weird shit he had never heard about.

Heck, he would even prefer his teasing over this silence.

But now there were only soft groans to be heard from the direction of the hospital. The blond just sat there, legs pulled up, right next to the flea, one hand draped securely over the flea.

"Izaya, you have to wake up again, you hear me?"

Izaya had to survive. 

He was smart. 

He had to. 

Shizuo couldn’t do it. 

If even the flea was gone, he would be left on his own. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t keep killing for himself. What would he even continue living for?

His brother was dead.

He bet everyone he knew was dead by now.

They were the only two left.

Izaya could do it. Izaya could deal with this crap mentally. 

He was just like normal. The only fucking normal thing left. 

Izaya had to wake up. No matter what. If he didn´t-

He felt like choking.

If only he hadn´t fallen asleep-

He gritted his teeth-

And then he did something he hadn´t done in a very long time.

He cried.

Mourned over the dead for the first time. For Kasuka, Tom, Ruri, and so many more that died and would never come back.

A tear drop dripped from his cheek.

He cried.

Because he was in despair. Lost.

Because he didn´t know what to do.

He cried.

Because he could do nothing else than wait.

He cried, because he feared the flea would be dead by morning.

Because Izaya would stop breathing in the night.

Because he would die. And when he was dead, he couldn’t do anything to change it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued
> 
> Awwwwwwwww poor shizzy awwwww xDD Don´t cry my baby xD Who knows what will happen now though C:
> 
> Hehe -raises hand- I DO xDDDD Next chapter will be.... well.... a little squealish xD Whether you squeal in fear or love is something I will leave you to wonder about xDDD
> 
> Now, now, sorry for the lateness again C:
> 
> For those who wonder, on Sunday this week, 14th, everything will update as scheduled xD so you will definitely get Ast 2, bcd 11, Iwtswyf 38 and Ne 5 C:
> 
> And tomorrow, you will get twtd 28 and SD2 :C Sowy for being so slow I only returned today xD
> 
> Well then, see you tomorrow *0* or on sunday 14th *0* or on sunday the 21st when the next sotd chapters comes out x'DDD
> 
> haha, see ya~ xD
> 
> PS.: Did I already mention the new story I started? xD For anyone who missed it and wants to read it, it´s "A single touch" it´s a hurt; comfort story where poor lil Izzyy was raped ;^;


	12. It's fine

W **elcome to chapter 12 *^***

**Now, now, now xDD Will the flea wake up? Will he be dead?! Or a ZOMBIE?! Let´s see~ xDD**

**Guest 2: Naw, yeah losing everyone in front of him really carved some scars into his heart, poor Shizuo... ;^; But izzy will help with that C; I was really wondering in the last chapter about whether to actually make him cry, but then again, if not that then he would have needed to vent in a different way and with Izaya there being unconscious it was better this way xD Thank you C': naw**

**Reader: nawww, dont cry! ;A; -hugglies- everything is gonna be oki... maybe... I think- xD I think you might like this chappy C;**

**LRyuzaki24: xDDDDD I UPDATED x'DDD No worries I update regularly x'DDD And till anyone cuts off my freaking hand I will not stop~ xD**

**Now, sowy but this chapter is not corrected yet ;A; Please don´t die reading my mistakes xD**

**I will reply to all the other reviews tomorrow!! Currently getting 2 am here and I´m dead tired to be completely honest x'DDDD**

**Enjoy~!**

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**\--๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑--**

**ஜ Chapter 12: It´s fine ஜ**

**\---Shizuo´s point of view--** - 

... slowly, really slowly Shizuo started to make out the surrounding buildings again. 

At night they had been hidden in shadows, only the screaming from the zombies was to be heard but apart from that… nothing. 

He hadn´t slept even a second that night. Just sat there, staring, watching, only to over and over lean over to the flea and gently put his hand on his chest to make sure it was still steadily rising and falling. 

Over and over Shizuo had held his breath because he thought the soothing inhales of air next to him had ceased. 

And now it was dawning. 

The sun was coming up again- slowly, but surely. Glancing over to the hospital he could already make out the pole again he stabbed the three zombies with. 

They were still hanging there. Two of them had stopped groaning. They probably died- but the third was still not shutting up. 

It was almost a wonder considering how long it had survived. 

The zombies that had gathered around the pole had vanished. Maybe they were intelligent enough to notice over the night that those groaning noises didn´t indicate any food. 

Raising an arm to rub at his eyes Shizuo let his sight trail off the scene for a second. 

Izaya was still laying there, not moving. His chest was rising up and down just like it was supposed to.

… that was good right? 

He didn´t die- no not yet. But his hopes were seriously somewhere down the gutter. So many options had swarmed through his head as he had been sitting there, just waiting, hoping for Izaya to wake up. 

Maybe he wouldn´t wake up again. 

Not die, yeah, but maybe not wake up again either. 

Who knew what he had done wrong, who knew if he had been careful enough? 

It wasn´t only once or twice that night that he jumped at the sound of groaning noises- thinking that maybe, just maybe... he might have infected Izaya somehow after all. 

He didn´t know which option was the most horrifying one- Izaya dying... or Izaya returning as one of them... 

If Izaya really died... there was no way he could burn him... there was no way he could do something like that- he doubted he would even be able to bury him- just... no 

It would feel so wrong. 

Izaya wouldn´t die right? 

And if he became a zombie... 

Fuck. 

There was no way he could just bust off his head like with all these other zombies- it was Izaya. He just couldn´t- 

The imagination alone made him nauseous. Imagining the flea, already pale as he was, with these dead eyes, only groaning for human flesh... 

His brows knitted into a deep frown.

He couldn't do it. 

He had to wake up. 

He glanced at the flea once more checking, hoping again, that he didn´t die yet- 

That he was still breathing- 

"Can´t you just wake up already...?" Only barely his lips moved- they felt dry and rough- he didn´t drink a lot recently nor did he eat. Everything around him just made him feel sick to this stomach. 

"Please Izaya..." If he just woke up already- please he didn´t want anything else than that- just… 

"Just 5 more minutes Shizu-chan." 

…

His head snapped towards the raven- who was not frowning just slightly- meaning- 

"Izaya!" The blond couldn´t believe his ears- The frown Izaya wore got deeper, obviously annoyed.

Shizuo was dreaming right? The flea was actually- Relief washed over him to an extent he would have never imagined he would feel for that stupid louse- 

That stupid louse- it was only then that he registered what the flea actually had said. “You fucking asshole since when were you awake?!” the raven groaned, one eye barely opening to glance at the blond. 

"Literally since two seconds- now, could you stop yelling, please?" The blond was mad. But only for five seconds- After all… Izaya was speaking, Izaya was being an asshole and joking, Izaya- 

"You are alive-" The raven blinked, looking at the blond as if to ask him whether that was something worthy to be surprised over, but then his eyes widened just the slightest bit and he looked down his body. 

"Ah. I am-" it was barely a mumbled as he lifted his arms, trying to push himself up using his elbows. A frown deep enough to indicate that the flea was in pain made Shizuo move over right away and support his back as he pushed himself up. 

Izaya had seriously forgotten about it for a second… how that creature attacked him, how it … it cracked his ribs right? That hadn´t been a dream- 

And Shizu-chan- 

"...did you really cut me open?" Disbelieve was audible in the few words he breathed as he took a look at the messily sewed wound on his chest. 

"... yeah, I did... like you told me to. I think…" The stitches were uneven, but not poorly done, no, actually they looked like Shizu-chan had sewed him over and over a few times just to make sure he really did it well enough. 

So Shizu-chan actually fixed his rib- 

Shizu-chan had actually cut him open and he was still alive. 

"....wow." It was a mere breath, but honest. 

The blond frowned thinking the flea was trying to fuck around with him- "Don´t mock me the second you wake up." He knew himself that the stitches didn´t look anything like Shinra´s did- it look like an amateur did it, alright but... he tried his best right? 

"I wasn´t, actually. It´s not like anyone can pull that off in a situation like that." The seriousness in Izaya´s voice caught him off guard. 

A shiver ruptured through the raven´s body and he wrapped his arms around himself protecting. 

"Fuck it´s cold." 

"Ah-" Shizuo had forgotten. It wasn´t exactly cold outside- but staying in the tree all night long with not wearing more than a torn up shirt… well it was no wonder he was freezing. Unbuttoning the white shirt Izaya had gotten for him in the shower he took it off- all while the flea was watching with a raised brow. 

"... stripping so early in the morning Shizu-chan? Sorry but I think the zombie women are not really interested in your abs." This time the blond actually had to snort at the joke. 

"Maybe they like scrawny flea´s that get cold easily." Actually chuckling he threw the shirt over the raven to try and make him feel a bit warmer at least. 

To be honest usually he wouldn't have given a fuck about the flea freezing, he would have gotten way angrier over stupid comments like that too, but right now he was just glad the louse was even spouting them. 

Gratefully pulling the shirt over his shoulder the flea put it on- the stitches were tugging as he moved, hurting more than he thought they would, but then again... he could be dead. It could have been worse. 

Talking about worse… he still couldn´t believe that brute actually… fixed him. 

Cringing he pushed himself up more. Only now realizing where they actually were. 

A tree. 

Heh, he couldn´t blame Shizuo for not staying inside that hospital room- or inside the hospital at all. Whatever that thing was... he had never seen anything like it before. 

The usual creatures, yes, but that? 

Taking their surroundings in for the first time he looked around only to see… well, how would he describe it? 

Ah, yes. 

Destruction. 

Tons of dead creatures were sprawled on the ground, not moving anymore obviously dead- and in front of the hospital which was nearer than he thought… there was a pole. 

Standing up firmly, with three of them stuck upon like a rotisserie. What had Shizuo done? It was only now that Izaya noticed the blood on his face.

"Shizu-chan... did you like... go on a killing spree?" What did he miss there? 

The blond simply shrugged, obviously avoiding talking about it. 

"... kind of." Everywhere there were dead bodies- and torn up pavement, broken signs and buildings- their surroundings looked as if a hurricane had just come through- or as if they had had one of their usual chases. 

It was a miracle the tree was standing still- 

"Jesus you killed half the town´s zombies." Laying there, one over the other, almost building piles of dead human flesh… 

“What happened? Did you get attacked?” But the blond just shook his head. 

… 

Izaya frowned. 

He was way too quiet for his taste. 

What happened? Did he get mad at the creatures for existing? For causing all this shit? It wasn´t their fault, it was the virus. 

He hadn´t freaked out like that before when Izaya was there, so it had to do something with him passing out. 

Or was he that scared of being alone…? 

"...you could have just searched for someone else you know. I doubt I´m actually the only other human left. Now you have to go search for someone new anyway, since I´m kinda immobilized." The glare Shizuo sent him, almost made him think he had said something wrong- 

It was just a logical consequence, no? 

"I don´t plan on leaving. Put too much effort into saving your petty ass." The raven snorted.

"Pretty?" The irritated glance he earned for it was definitely worth it. 

"I said petty!" 

But still. 

Something was off.  

Really.

Izaya wondering what the hell happened. 

Shizuo was behaving strange but he couldn´t put a finger on what exactly was off about him. And he honestly didn´t plan on leaving him behind it seemed. 

Another strange factor he had to consider, thought the moment they met pretty much anyone that was still alive he bet Shizu-chan would choose to go with them. 

"We need a car," the raven sighed, glancing around their surroundings once more. With all these dead zombies there probably weren´t many of those creatures left even, but no matter where they went, there would be more of them. 

"We have one you know." Seriously? The raven shook his head. 

"No, we need one that we can actually use. I want to look around the city, a cabriole isn´t especially suited for that." Thinking about how those creatures could get in there just fine or how they could become trapped inside the car once they got surrounded, no thank you. 

Sitting inside a sturdy car and waiting for the creatures to go away because no sound reached their ears anymore was a more tempting option. 

"Why the hell do you want to move on already? You should stay here and rest." Izaya blinked, not having expected an argument that... caring?

"Aw how sweet, is Shizu-chan worried?" It was a joke, of course Shizu-chan had only saved him because he didn't want to be alone, but the answer surprised him. 

"Yeah." Yeah? 

Heh... 

Trembling, but very much curious the raven stared at the blond. It was odd. Every single cell of his logical thinking brain told him that Shizu-chan was just scared of being alone and that´s why he was so ... protective. 

And yet he couldn´t help but feel he was actually worried about him. Not in a sense of being left alone if something happened, no, worried about actually him, Izaya Orihara. 

The way he had freaked out when that abnormal creature attacked him and the way he had looking at him, it didn´t look like he was just scared of being left alone. 

That had to be nonsense of course. 

Shivering the raven sneezed. 

Ah, it was cold after all... 

"Okay I got it we can go look for a car." Blinking the raven glanced at the blond- 

"What brought about the sudden change of mind?" he asked tilting his head questioningly.  

"Nothing, now let´s go." Shizuo simply couldn´t watch how the flea seemed to be freezing still. He just cut him open and all and he hadn´t look in exactly the best shape before either, so... he had a feeling leaving him here to freeze would only make everything worse. 

If they found a car that was actually closed he could get warm in there- which was definitely a better option that to let him sleep here. 

A soft groan made him look back at the raven- who was now actually standing up. 

"Oi- what are you doing?" Izaya just glanced at him with an expression that nearly spelled how stupid he thought he was. 

"Walking? Or do you expect me to stay here and wait until you get a car when you don´t even know how to hot wire it?" ... he was kinda right with that. 

"No, but... doesn't that hurt?" Standing up just like this and trying to walk around surely wasn´t pleasant- the raven merely shrugged though. 

"It´s bearable." Bearable, huh? 

"How about, you know... I could carry you." Disbelieving the raven stared at him. 

"Carry me?" 

"On my back." 

... 

To be honest it was a tempting offer. Izaya wasn´t stupid, he knew walking around like this wasn´t exactly smart- but then again he didn´t expect the brute to offer that sort of thing. 

"Okay." As odd as it was, the blond didn´t even hesitate nor complain as he let the raven slip on his back. And neither did Izaya. Thinking about how he even got into the tree it was obvious the brute had carried him before- and he didn´t feel like walking around anyway, so- 

Why not? 

Shizu-chan had ... saved his life, as much as he disliked that fact he was also glad he did, and it really spoke for  the brute. 

Ever since they had met there was still this little shred of doubt in the back of Izaya´s head, warning him that Shizu-chan could flip out any time and try to kill him for whatever reason, or go insane like all those people- and yet, now he found himself trusting the blond. 

And Shizuo... Shizuo was just glad. 

Shizuo was really, rally glad that Izaya was there. Neither dead, nor zombiefied. 

He just woke up and Shizuo felt like everything was going to be alright again now. 

He would take care of him 

As long as Izaya was here he didn´t fucking care if there were zombies. He would kill them all. 

As long as Izaya was there it was fine. 

**\--๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑--**

**End of chapter 12 C:**

**Now, now this was a rather calm chapter I think~ But ohoho don´t rest assured yet C; C; C;  xD I planned for some Sweeeet and scary stuff ahead~ xD**

**What I mean? Well you will see~ xD**

**See you on Sunday the 4th September~! *0***

 


	13. ஜ Only each other ஜ

**(warning once more, there is gross shit in this chapter xD)**

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-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

... stupid flea.

Acting all tough, when he wasn´t.

Over and over he kept glancing at the raven, just to make sure that he indeed was not dreaming or anything of that sort.

Damn, it sure was quiet when the flea was sleeping. A smile spread across his lips.

This time he really was just sleeping though.

Still feeling relieved he glanced at the man next to him. He had curled up on the seat - almost like a cat. His arms and legs were pulled to his chest- sure the space in the car was limited but he really sort of looked like a cat like that. His back was facing the front of the car so the stitched up wound on the right side of his chest wasn´t pressured or anything.

Shizuo had suggested that he could sleep in the back of the car. Just laying down and resting on his back sounded like it would be more comfortable.

But then again he was glad the flea refused to do that- he felt better when he could actually see the flea after all.

They had actually found one- a car that is. One that Izaya approved off. It sort of looked like the van Kadota used to drive with just with the one difference that the seat in the front row wasn´t interrupted but one single seat. The flea´s head was basically almost touching his thigh while driving.

Relaxing in the seat Shizuo slowed the car down a bit. The gas was already running out- but a gas station had been marked at one of those signs so he was kinda confident they would make it to one soon.

Letting his right hand trail off the steering wheel he pulled at the raven´s jacket. Seriously, despite everything that happened he couldn´t believe Izaya was still holding onto it. Before they got into the car Izaya insisted on putting it on, and returned Shizuo´s shirt.

Now he was using it as a blanket while sleeping- the partly ripped white shirt- which contained a few blood stains, was still clinging to his body as well.

He tugged at the coat, having shifted down, making it cover the flea´s shoulder again.

That stupid flea...

Even though he was trying to act all tough it was obvious that this monster had really hurt him, and only one, two or even twenty stitches couldn't fix that.

At first he actually thought Izaya was sort of alright again, just from what he did, because he got up in that tree and looked all that confident and not in pain.

But that obviously had just been a pretty good mask.

A mask that already started to crumble within a few minutes of walking though.

Shizuo offered to carry him on his back, and he did exactly that, only until they reached a parking lot though- Izaya said he should let him down and they would search for a car separately.

"Separately" as in, Shizuo was not leaving his eyes of the flea, while the raven was stalking around.

The way he walked just gave away how much he hurt though- his hands constantly shot up every few steps to reach for the wound as if to try and soothe the pain by placing his palm on it.

He would always retract it whenever he thought Shizuo saw though.

Breathing seemed to be a bit of a chore as well as Shizuo could hear him panting once he returned with a smile, stating that he found a car he liked.

This time he actually unlocked the van- not wanting to demolish the car that he wanted to keep.

Somehow Shizuo felt like scolding Izaya for trying to act tough, but then again he couldn´t really bring himself to tell Izaya that he was ... well... weak right now and hurt.

Finally the gas station came into sight.

With a soft sigh he noticed a few cars were already there- empty ones though. They were simply blocking the way. The doors were opened, but no one was there. They obviously had fled by running after getting out of the car and encountering a zombie.

Without any gas they had no choice he guessed.

Only when he had gotten out of the van and already moved some cars away he realized that he could have just taken the gas they needed from any other car they encountered on the streets- being left behind and all.

Really. And this was why Izaya was handling these kind of things. Walking back towards the van he saw that the flea was indeed still sleeping- hm, he was sort of amazing to be able to sleep while he was being this loud.

Opening the door, he gently reached for the raven´s shoulder shaking it softly.

"Waking time Izaya." At first the flea didn´t move, the blond shook him a tad harder till he caught a groan.

Yawning the raven brought a hand to his face, rubbing at his eyes he glanced at the blond, rather sleepy if Shizuo might add.

He almost chuckled at the way he was looking at him.

"Seems this gas station has been left behind. I thought it would be interesting to look for some food or something." To be completely honest he didn´t even remember when he last ate anything- the scenes he encountered so far always made him feel sick to his stomach so he didn´t particularly get hungry in the first place.

No answer was given though and for a second Shizuo thought the raven fell asleep again.

"Izaya?" Experimentally he nudged the raven´s shoulder once more-

"Huh?" Sleepy and obviously confused the raven´s head shot up again, looking like he only now noticed that Shizuo was actually talking to him. "Ah yeah. Looking for food sounds like a good idea," he mumbled, pushing himself up from the seat.

Shizuo, however, frowned the slightest bit. Somehow something seemed off.

"Izaya, are you okay?" The raven froze at that, glancing at the blond in front of him. He set up his usual grin as he slipped out of the car.

"Of course, Shizu-chan, everything is fine-"

Fine- it was not. The moment Izaya stood on his own two feet he realized how dizzy he was- or rather, his body made him realize as it swayed - not being able to regain his posture right away-

"Fine my ass-" a hand found its way to his shoulder, softly pushing him against the van to keep him upright while another slipped up to his forehead.

"Shit you are hot, flea-"

Ahh- Somehow he already knew he was feeling shitty, but now that he knew it was because of a fever he felt even worse.

"Woah Shizu-chan, are you trying to hit on me?" Izaya almost pouted when the blond didn´t even pay attention to his little word play.

"What do we do now? How do we get it down?" he questioned instead.

Sighing the raven brushed the hand off his forehead. Should he call it a fifth sense? Or maybe pure luck? Because this time it actually seemed he had been right about Shizu-chan´s reaction.

He had kept his mouth shut about feeling a tad worse than before because he could almost predict what he was going to react like-

Shizu-chan seemed like he was freaking out over this already, when nothing serious had happened.

"Ah, is Shizu-chan freaking out again? Zombies beware-" he tried to joke, to calm the blond a bit, but that didn´t seem to work as well as he thought it would-

"That´s not funny Izaya!" the blond almost barked at him, definitely not meaning to though-

"It will disappear, Shizu-chan," he continued, brushing Shizu-chan´s hand off his shoulder. As much as it was kinda nice of the brute to care that much it was equally annoying as well- "Please just calm down, you should be glad, maybe I´m having blood poisoning that will slowly kill me~"

While Izaya had intended that one as a joke, the blond perceived it entirely different.

Kill, huh? The blond´s eyes widened at the mere word-

No.

NO, no, no, no.

"Don´t say that!" Blinking the raven´s frown eased into a surprised expression. Shizu-chan... looked like he was really devastated over what he said-

That wasn´t what he wanted.

Frustrating the monster, yes, in a sense of making him angry, making him say something like, " _Well then go ahead and die already you stupid flea_ ," or something along those lines-

He didn´t expect this...

The blond´s expression had consorted into one that almost seemed like he was about to... noooo, no way.

"Oi..." he mumbled softly. Great now he felt bad for saying what he did. "I was just joking. I´m not gonna die that easily and I´m not having blood poisoning either, it´s probably just from over exertion or something you just cut me open after all."

But the blond didn´t seem to be assured by what he said at all...

"Yeah right as if-" One of Shizuo´s palm´s found its way to his hair, ruffling through it as he tried to believe what Izaya had said. He knew himself that he was probably exaggerating, but after all that happened, he just couldn´t make himself react differently.

The flea sighed, still leaning on the van.

"... I´m fine though, really. A little fever won´t ki- I mean, it´s nothing serious."

Tch-

"Then stop saying shit like that..." the blond mumbled, closing his eyes for a second.

Fuck.

He was tired, exhausted- and he was dead scared of losing Izaya. He didn´t even know why he was that hung up over the louse, but shit he was-

He couldn´t help but think that maybe he did something wrong when he sewed him shut, that maybe his wound got infected or something despite him throwing alcohol over the damn thing countless times.

What if he did? What if it wasn´t as harmless as the flea had said?

"Shizu-chan-" the sudden alarmed tone carried by Izaya's voice made the blond snap out of his thoughts, opening his eyes again immediately. Izaya wasn´t looking at him anymore.

Following his gaze he glanced to the front of the car.

That was-

"Ah, Orihara-san."

The raven swallowed-

He had... he had really seen a lot of things... but this-

Namie´s little brother...

He was walking right towards them- with a wide smile on his face.

It was astonishing how crude he could be.

"Seiji..." Only from the corner of his eyes he caught Shizu-chan turning away from him and hunching over- only to throw up whatever his stomach still contained-

Once, twice he convulsed- Seiji was still standing there, just smiling widely at them.

More worried about Shizu-chan than the man in front of them Izaya turned to him, softly placing his hand on the man´s back. He was still hunched over and heaving.

"Oi- you okay?" he mumbled quietly, not leaving his eyes of the psychopath in front of them.

A sort of quick nod was given as the raven placed his hand on Shizuo´s neck, softly kneading through the blond hair tips in an attempt to make the blond´s nausea go away-

"And there I thought I was the last one left." Wary Izaya snapped his attention back to the man- he knew he was sick, crazy, he had known so all along ever since he found out that he loved Celty´s head- who could love only a head?

But to go to this extreme-

He didn´t even need the man to tell him what he had done.

It was obvious-

Because...

There was a head in his arm.

It certainly looked like Celty´s yeah- except it was not. Feeling his own stomach do a back flip he inhaled deeply, trying to maintain his posture.

Blood vessels, flesh, part of the lung and the spine where still dangling from the neck of that girls head- the eyes were open, but glassy, and her head had obviously been smashed in as there were clearly some parts missing-

Apart from the fact that his body was covered in blood there was something way more unsettling on Seiji´s neck- his arms- everywhere to be honest...

"You have been bitten-" Shizuo snapped his eyes open upon hearing these words.

Trying to avoid even glancing at that ... head... he focused on the man himself.

It was true- there were bite marks almost everywhere-

"Ah, yeah she bit me a few times when I tried to saw her head off," the man informed, sighing as if he didn't even care about that in the slightest- "it took so much work, the spine just didn´t break right away."

Turning away the blond pressed his forehead against the van´s cool surface. Shit he was feeling so damn nauseous- he wanted to throw up but nothing was there anyway- "but then I stomped on her neck and twisted it till it came out, so now she is mine-" slapping a hand in front of his mouth the blond tried to ignore what the man was saying.

The description was way too vivid in his mind. "Please make him stop-" he found himself mumbling when those fingertips caressed his neck again.

"We will be together forever, you know Orihara-san?"

_God, someone please make him shut up-_

"... I should kill him," it was barely a whisper, but he definitely caught those words coming from the raven´s lips.

"What?" he glanced at Izaya, for a second thinking he was joking, but his expression was too serious for that.

"He has been bitten... I understand that you don´t want that, and I would even understand if you wanted to take him with us till you now... but you know... he will turn either way- and I´m pretty sure even the last bit of sanity he had is gone by now..." More words from the man reached his ears, he was obviously coming closer- ignoring them with all his might he stared at the ground below him.

Shizuo never thought he was going to say these words.

"... you are right." The flea was right.

He really was. "I will do it."

No matter what they did- he was going to turn into one of those- and he sure as hell didn´t look sane anymore.

Straightening himself he swallowed trying to chase away the bile taste in his throat.

He took a step forward, the fingertips leaving his neck, his stomach already doing a back flip again as he just glanced at that... that... head-

All of a sudden his mouth felt really dry-

He had to kill him- a human. He was crazy- he had been bitten- and he would attack and bite and eat others-

Even if he was insane he wouldn´t want that.

Just like Kasuka wouldn´t have wanted that-

He had-

He had to-

What even? Punch him in his stomach? NO- he had to _kill_ him-

He would punch off his head- like he did with the zombies-

Just.. like that-

His stomach churned-

He could do it- he could-

"Nene, Shizu-chan-" startled the blond turned his head- upon hearing the flea call his name- only to have a knife fly right past him almost cutting his cheek-

His eyes going wide he stood there confused- for a second thinking the flea had thrown it at him-

But then he heard it.

_***THUD*** _

Slow.

Really slow he turned to look at the crazy man again.

But the crazy man wasn´t staring at them anymore.

He was dead.

His body was laying on the ground. Limp. A knife was stuck in his right eye-

Turning back to look at the raven he merely met a smiling flea.

"Sorry, the knife kinda slipped from my hands."

...

This time, it didn´t even take a second for Shizuo to realize what the flea just did, and why he did it.

He did that for him.

Izaya killed him, Shizuo didn´t. He called his name- Shizuo didn´t even see it.

Feeling the constricting feeling vanish from his throat he brushed through his hair, inhaling deeply.

He was... sort of relieved.

But... he frowned.

It wasn´t right he made Izaya do this for him.

"You didn´t have to..." he mumbled quietly. "I would have pulled it of somehow." Did he think he had to do this because he threw up? Because he couldn´t even look at the guy?

Was he too weak?

The raven only nodded though.

"... true. But you know, somehow Shizu-chan doesn´t strike me as a killer." The words were mumbled softly considering what happened just now.

The blond´s frown disappeared as he walked up to the flea again.

He wasn´t-

That flea...

"Sure you are definitely strong enough to punch out his lights or kill him in any other beastly way-" Izaya continued, still partly leaning onto that van, as the man approached him.

"But you know, I like you better when you just stay the way you are. Puking your guts out and all."

He got it.

That stupid flea... doing something like this.

Standing right in front of the raven the flea was just grinning, setting up his usual carefree smile.

A smile that Shizuo definitely wouldn´t be able to muster if he had just killed a person... if he could even muster one anymore after that.

The raven yelped surprised when a pair of arms wrapped around his body, efficiently trapping him in an unexpected hug.

Izaya blinked, feeling the blond nuzzle into his shoulder- he was about to ask what he was doing when-

"Thank you." - those two words left the blond´s lips.

... Izaya´s eyes softened again, and despite how wrong and odd this was, he wrapped his arms around the blond as well, drawing soothing patterns on the man´s back.

Shizu-chan really didn´t want to kill that man, he knew that. Shizu-chan understood the reasons he had to die for, sure. He even volunteered, feeling like he had to do something-

It all made sense and yet-

"It´s fine, just forget that this ever happened okay?" Izaya was alright with this, he had killed countless of these creatures, and for him Seiji was no different.

He couldn´t let Shizu-chan do this.

Shizu-chan saw Seiji as a human.

Because Shizu-chan was Shizu-chan.

And Shizu-chan wasn´t a monster.

-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

**End of chapter 13 C:**

**Again- SORRY xDDD this was probably... a bit too much gore xD But- god damn it, the second I thought of Mika accidentally dying and Seiji being there- that fucktard totally would do that sort of sick thing! xDD**

**Now, now, next time the chappy will be quite fluffy and sweet again xDDDD No zombies or anything for once x'D**

**See you on Sunday the 2nd October~! *0***

**Oh, oh and before I forget it, I recently read this story, and I just love how original, and funny as hell that story xD But also heart tugging kinda awwww**

**The story is called "What´s the big deal?" by weirdxyz C:**

**Please drop by to check her out *0***

 


	14. ஜ Staying close ஜ

**Welcome to chapter 14 *^* *0***

**This time there won´t be any- or at least not much- gross shit x'DD be prepared for a rather calm and nicey chappy cx hehe 3**

**Enjoy~!**

**.**

**.**

**.**

-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

**-Izaya´s point of view-**

Soft wind was blowing across the raven´s back, making him shiver softly. The hands that were still resting on his back were warm , but not doing much to keep the raven from freezing. It was cold- yet despite feeling cold he felt hot at the same time as well.

_Stupid fever._

The blond was still leaning on his shoulder in this sort of hug. Izaya couldn´t really bring himself to pull away though. He was feeling sick in multiple ways, for once thing because he had a fever and the second- even if he didn´t throw up or anything, his stomach hadn´t been particularly been amused when it saw that knife penetrating Seiji´s eye and skull.

It reminded him all too much of how he had killed Shiki. How those fluids started flowing out of the eyeball's hole, no thank you-

He had seen way too many of these things.

Torn up humans, those zombies gnawing at bodies, capturing someone, ripping them apart, then the killing as well-

And yet his stomach clenched painfully from hunger as well. He hadn´t eaten anything in quite a while. Not a wise move probably, he knew that much, but while seeing these things he really couldn´t bring himself to even think about food.

...

And... even though he had a plan he almost felt like the control was slipping out of his hands slowly but surely.

... he never really had any sort of control to begin with, did he? Be it before he met Shizu-chan or after that. He had no real control. Not even now.

He could have let Shizu-chan kill Namie´s brother and yet... he was growing soft wasn´t he?

Towards the blond. It was odd, he only ever wanted for Shizu-chan to die or hate him or annoy him to the point the flipped out. But now? He wanted Shizu-chan to be alright.

He didn´t want to burden him, nor did he want him to keep hating Izaya. Odd.

It was sort of awkward to admit that much, but being hugged by the blond like this had something really comforting to it. With all this shit going on around them...

Izaya´s hands were still wrapped around the man as well, he could feel the tense muscles beneath his shirt, the slow takes of breath tickling his neck, the soft hair tips brushing against his cheek and the warmth that radiated from his skin.

Shizu-chan somehow always seemed to be warm, no matter how cold it was. He noticed so in the shower as well. When that zombie attacked him- even thought it was probably stupid to notice such a thing while he was basically dying- but he found himself thinking that Shizu-chan´s hands seemed to be warm, and gentle on his shoulders.

It was odd for a monster like him and yet just so like Shizu-chan.

Really, he had to be delirious because of the fever if he started thinking of Shizu-chan as someone gentle-

And yet, what did it even matter?

Just him and Shizu-chan were left.

Sure, there were some humans alive somewhere, he didn't doubt that. If someone like Seiji could survive that long then there had to be others as well. Maybe even Shinra, or Celty- would a dullahan even be affected by the virus?

But right now, right here?

Letting his eyes trail back to the corpse on the ground he found his thoughts travel back to before all of this happened- Namie was still alive then. If she knew what he had done just now she would probably curse him from hell.

"... you are still hot." The words were whispered quietly as the blond released the raven from the hug.

His breathing had slowly but surely calmed down, he seemed to be fine again.

Heh, and really worried on top of that. Was it really the thought of losing him that scared him so much?

A palm found its way to Izaya´s forehead. He didn´t move away though. By now he didn´t really care anymore what the blond did and what he didn´t do.

_As expected._

The blond frowned just the slightest bit, feeling the heat radiate from the raven´s skin. Izaya´s eyes were glassy, and his forehead way too hot to just brush it off as a slight fever.

He was pale as well.

Shizuo had to do something for once too. It was a thought that had struck him when Izaya killed Seiji.

It had always been Izaya till now that took care of everything.

Izaya found and hotwired the car.

Izaya drove, like a madman he might add.

Izaya checked him for bites, even if he joked around with it.

Izaya made him feel better about what happened to Kasuka, while Shizuo only hurt him for it.

Izaya took watch in the tree, seeing that stupid zombie dog on the ground.

Izaya found the shower, finally able to get rid of the shirt that was drenched with Kasuka's blood...

Hell Izaya even gave him instructions on how Shizuo should operate on him before he finally passed out.

It was just Izaya. Taking the lead, taking care of everything, thinking about all the important things while Shizuo was just following him around.

And now, even though Izaya was already at his limit, hurt and getting sick on top of all, he even killed Seiji for him.

To put it simply- while he was really grateful Izaya took care of everything he couldn´t just let this continue. Izaya was sick already, what else did he want to happen to the flea?

"You are taking it easy now, okay?" he mumbled, before suddenly sweeping the raven off his feet. A soft gasp escaped Izaya's lips, surprised at the sudden movement and hands clung to the blond´s shirt in order to not lose balance.

With confident steps Shizuo walked over to the abandoned gas station. The glass windows were smashed in and it was obvious even from outside that there was no zombie inside that tiny shop.

Feeling the flea hold onto his shirt he glanced at him. He was frowning just the slightest bit, from the fever most probably, but didn´t complain.

The motion had been just a tad too quick for the raven´s head to follow. A slight headache acted up and he felt dizzy.

"What are you doing?" Izaya questioned, as Shizuo stepped into the shop, shards cracking beneath his shoes.

"I want to check if they have something useful in there and take it with us. Medicine, food and stuff. And then we will drive and find a place that seems safe." The raven opened his eyes unwillingly for a second, cocking an eyebrow.

A place that seems safe, huh?

"Good luck finding such a place," he mumbled, letting his eyes slip shut again. Somehow he felt really sluggish. He should be angry by the fact that Shizuo carried him around and yet he didn´t really mind.

Softly the blond tightened his hold on the raven. He felt hot against his chest.

Letting his hands drop down sluggish Izaya let his head lean onto the blond´s chest. Really now.

Their former hatred based relationship was changing more and more into something that Izaya didn´t know if he should hate or appreciate.

"Carrying me around like this, I sure feel like a princess though. What are you, my butler?" Shizuo almost had to snort at that comment. Princess Izaya, huh?

"At your service Izaya-sama."

What-

The raven blinked, before breaking out into heartfelt laughter.

"Say- say that again Shizu-chan-" he chuckled, not able to contain his laughter- really now. Maybe the way this was changing wasn´t so bad after all.

"No way-" the blond snorted, and instead reached towards the counter inside the shop.

With one swift motion he threw everything off the counter, letting Izaya slip onto it as he put him down.

The raven blinked a tad surprised and glanced at the blond as he stalked over to the store´s merchandise.

Something that looked like a picnic blanket was pulled down from a cupboard and spread on the floor.

The raven raised a brow, didn´t get up from his new seat though as he watched the blond continue. Water bottles, juice, cans with food- sure there wasn´t much to take with them, but it seemed Shizuo was gathering everything that seemed like they could need or use.

Sadly there wasn´t a too large variety of medicines they could use. Izaya glanced at the shelf opposite to him, it was near enough for him to make out their names, contents and expiration date.

Among the usual dowry like painkillers, headache pills and plaster of all sorts there wasn´t really much to use. It´s only been a few days, since everything went downhill, and yet Izaya didn't really trust any liquid or close dated stuff.

He had forgotten today's date as well.

Hearing some rustling the raven looked back towards Shizu-chan who was now throwing sweets on top of the merchandise pile. As well as alcohol and the band aids from the shelf Izaya had been looking at.

For a second Izaya found himself thinking that he hoped they wouldn´t need any band aids anymore.

The four ends of the blanket were finally grabbed and tied to a knot in the middle of the huge bunch.

As expected Shizu-chan didn´t even struggle to lift everything at once as he walked around like a body builder version of father Christmas, heading for the van.

Izaya couldn´t help but chuckle the slightest when the sudden image of Shizu-chan in Santa clause's clothes invaded his mind.

He surely would be able to transport quite the load of presents through the city.

...

For a second Izaya felt somewhat sad by his own thoughts. Christmas, huh?

Wasn´t too long ago- the 24th December that is.

Just a month.

...

His brows knitting into a soft frown he counted the days that had passed since he killed Shiki.

... really.

He knew the date after all.

Today was January the 29th.

Pushing himself off the counter Shizu-chan had seated him on he walked out of the gas station´s shop. The dizziness wasn´t exactly helping him to not walk like a drunk, but hey.

"Oi you are supposed to wait till I get you." Ah, Shizu-chan had noticed.

He smiled.

"Shizu-chan, I´m flattered you are that worried about me, but the princess can manage at least until the van, ne?" the blond was already at the vehicle, shoving everything into the back of it as he looked at him.

Without any warning though the blond let go of whatever he was just putting inside and grabbed the blanket from beneath the pile of merchandise. Clattering sounds were to be heard as he pulled it out from underneath.

Approaching Izaya the raven stopped, wondering what the blond had in mind when all of a sudden that blanket got thrown over his head.

"What-" Being blinded by the fabric on top of his head the raven yelped when two hands suddenly grabbed him, throwing him over his shoulder.

A soft hiss escaped his lips when that shoulder brushed his injury- but before he could even complain he was thrown onto something soft again.

Only upon pulling down the blanket from his head he noticed it was merely the front seat.

"Just lay down and wait, okay?" the blond said as he stepped back from the car door, walking to the back of the van one more.

With a sigh the raven let himself slump down onto the soft seat. So this was probably the brute´s way of saying _\- I´m taking the lead now_ \- Izaya didn´t know whether he liked or hated that yet. Shifting onto his side and pulling the blanket over his cold body he decided the decision could be made later still.

He felt a bit better due to the fresh air and all but he still felt dizzy he had to admit.

It wasn´t too long till the driver´s door opened and something soft was shoved into the raven´s face. It was a pillow-

"I found that one in a store room." The raven hummed, letting his head rest on the soft cushion. It was only then that he realized how long it had actually been since he has had a pillow and a blanket and an opportunity to sleep in peace.

Seriously. Right now this felt more like a road trip than an escape from zombies.

"Ah, so attentive to details," he hummed approving only to receive no answer. He twisted his upper body, propping himself up on his elbows to look at the blond.

He was just staring at the road in front of them.

Right...

He didn´t need to glance at the road to know what the blond was staring at.

Seiji was still laying there.

Seiji´s corpse.

"He is dead," he mumbled softly, "We can´t do anything for him anymore."

A slow nod was given.

"Yeah, I know..."

Really now... who knew things like these would affect the blond to this degree? He really seemed less and less like the monster Izaya had always accused him of being.

And that even though he still had all that blood smeared over his face...

"Ne, lean over for a sec." The blond blinked upon hearing the request and turned his head, only to feel something wet brush over his cheek.

It was a tissue.

"Dunno if you noticed, but you look a bit crazy with all this blood smeared over your face," the raven commented, a soft smile placed on his lips.

Blood, huh?

Yeah he certainly remembered when that decorated his face.

Just the memory of it made the blond feel his anger rise again. If it just weren´t for these stupid zombies- everything could be fine then- they would have never had to kill this guy either...

"... it´s from when I passed out, right?" It was a question and yet it sounded more like a statement. The flea knew after all.

A sudden poke to his forehead made the blond blink slightly touching the spot. The raven was looking at him with a playful smile.

"You are frowning again Shizu-chan. You will get wrinkles really fast if you do that too much." Wrinkles, huh?

Somehow the blond couldn´t help but smile at that comment.

Wrinkles.

Really. It wasn´t all that funny even, but to hear Izaya say something as insignificant as that while basically everything around them was falling apart he couldn´t help but chuckle.

"Right, guess I should stop," he mumbled, his expression relaxing as he let the flea continue to clean has face. The tissue moved further up, rubbing at the corner of his eyes, making the blond blink.

"Close your eyes, will you?" Izaya chuckled and Shizuo did as told. Softly the fingertips brushed along his skin wiping the stains away.

It had a calming feeling to it. The touch that is.

Be it before when Izaya combed through his hair when he felt bad or now-

It was so gentle unlike his own actions. Even if Shizuo tried to do the same he ended up being rough as usual. Izaya didn't.

Softly the fingers drew patterns across his skin.

Somehow Shizuo liked the flea touching him, he liked it when the flea was close to him like this.

"There you go, all clean again." Missing the touch already, the blond nodded, focusing his attention back on the street. "Thank you."

And with that he started the engine of the van once more. The gas already having been filled up. "Now sleep already, flea."

"Hai, hai, whatever Shizu-chan wants~" The raven purred before laying down once more and Shizuo drove off.

He couldn´t let himself be spoilt like this anymore.

-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

**End of chapter 14 C:**

**naw, now wasn't this cute? But oh just you wait something even cuter is about ot come hehe cx**

**Now, now, what will happen next~ I announce a lovely fluffy chappy with a little surprise in it C; xD**

**See you on Sunday the 16th~!**

 


	15. ஜ Unexpected ஜ

 

 

 

-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

**-Izaya´s point of view-**

"Iza-nii Iza-nii! Look what I found!" with a beaming smile the little brown haired girl ran towards her older brother. Golden sand flew away with every quick step she took. Gasping Izaya glanced at the white object in her little hands as the girl showed him what she discovered.

"Oh, what a beautiful shell Mairu." It was white with small brown stripes- well he had seen various of these shells on the beach but he couldn´t say that to his little baby sis, now could he?

"Too." Glancing up he spotted Kururi following right up, with her pink swimming suit and a neat braid that her sister forcibly made hear wear. Blinking Izaya eyed the shell she was holding.

"Oh, wow where did you find that one?!" Mairu gasped in amazement as her sister showed her what she found. It was a snail´s shell, small, yet big enough to fill out his little sister´s palm. Unlike the shell Mairu found, it there was no seaweed growing on it yet, leaving it spotless to look at a soft pattern of brown and white.

"Heh I haven´t seen one like that around here at all." Izaya mumbled, taking the shell as Kururi handed it over.

"Amazing! Kururi is amazing as always!" softly gasping the girl tried not to fall over as her sister hugged her tightly from behind. "Totally not like our lazy older brother!" a tongue was shown towards Izaya and he had to smirk.

"Well excuse me for staying out of this salty and cold water."

"It´s not _that_ cold!" his little sister complained, letting go of her twin only to pull at Izaya's arm instead- "Come on, don´t be so lazy, join us in the water Iza-nii!"

"Iza-nii. Join."

"Not you too Kururi," the raven laughed, the twins pulling at him more and more. A soft breeze was blowing across the beach.

"Come on Iza-nii." The sky was illuminated in all sorts of colors. Blue, red, orange, gold the sun was setting.

"Iza-nii." But then it got darker.

"Iza-nii.." and darker.

"Iza-nii..."

Blinking Izaya looked at his phone. He was in his office, the voice of his sister now coming from his phone instead.

"Mairu? What´s with you, you haven´t called me that in ages." Spinning around in his swivel chair he looked out of his apartment´s window. The sky was grey, rain was softly thrumming against the glass, trailing down to form huge raindrops, as if they were trying to hold on, but they only to trickled down the glass anyway.

It was weird.

They gathered to hold onto the glass, and still fell.

"... Iza-nii... she died-"

They just fell.

The sky got even darker. The rain poured down heavily.

Icy raindrops hit his skin, he was running through the rain.

Trickling, dropping, falling from his coat as a pair of arms wrapped around his waist.

More drops of water trickling down his sister´s face.

Men were standing there in the gloomy corridor, all mighty, in white, thinking they were gods-

"You said she was getting better!" Hands wrapped tightly around the small crying frame holding onto him.

The door to a certain room opened, in there was only a lifeless body.

"So why is she dead now?!" More drops fell, joining the others in their journey.

"Why?!" but the men just shook their heads. Mumbled something about the virus being too strong, about the antidote having been too late.

And then it was dark again.

So dark. Really dark. And quiet, he couldn´t hear anything, nor see.

No wait, there was some noise.

Steps, little steps following him, walking over broken glass, garbage- groans were to be heard from afar. Those creatures lurking god knows where.

An odd sound made him swirl around.

"Mairu, are you okay?" The flashlight´s flip was switched.

Horrified eyes met his own.

And a pair of white ones.

A small dog.

Biting her arm-

"Iza-nii-"

Shooting up from the seat Izaya gasped, wide awake-

"Wha-!" feeling the vehicle steer violently to the right Izaya almost fell off the seat while the brute swore under his breath.

"Shit do you always wake up like that flea?! You could have warned me, I almost crashed into a sign-" Shizuo swore under his breath, trying to keep driving on the street.

Izaya didn't really seem to be bothered by their near crash at all.

Confused the raven blinked, looking at the blond.

Shizu-chan?

Right-

Shizu-chan.

He had teamed up with him. Right. Shizu-chan was sitting there. Driving the van. The van he had chosen.

Only slowly the raven realized where he was. On a road to god knows where with the blond, in an apocalyptic state of their surroundings...

His palm finding its way to his forehead he let out a sigh. Shizuo was still uttering curses under his breath, but he didn´t rally pay attention to them.

... it was just a dream.

... just a dream.

Why was he getting so riled up about it? Why even dream about those two now?

... they were long dead.

Well, not exactly long speaking in terms of time, but in a world like this, where every second they survived seemed like a miracle in itself it seemed like it happened an eternity ago.

They were dead.

He and Shizu-chan were the only ones left alive.

It was only then that he noticed the sky´s color.

Black.

It was dark.

His heart skipped a beat-

"Shizu-chan, why is it dark?" The blond blinked over the weird question, pausing his complaints for a second and glanced at the flea. His hair was disshelved and he looked a bit out of it.

"Because it´s night obviously. You slept pretty long." Stupid flea didn´t even pay attention to him it seemed as he kept looking out of the window.

He had sat up, the blanket partly wrapped around him as he looked outside the driver´s window.

Shizuo was still driving on the very same road they started at before Izaya fell asleep. It had been a few hours by now. For the sake of finding some place safe Shizuo had just kept driving as far away from the cities as he could.

It was dark, the only thing lightening up the street was the light of the van like vehicle.

Rain drops, forming the image of dozens of spider webs falling from the sky were decorating their surroundings.

Heavy the rain thrummed against the glass.

"Stop the car." Firm and almost angry sounding the flea said those words.

Confused the blond blinked.

"What?"

"-did your protozoan brain finally shrink to a nonexistent size or what?! STOP THE DAMN CAR!" Perplexed and startled by the flea´s outburst Shizuo hit the breaks- the car screeching and the flea almost falling of his seat the car came to a quick halt.

Rain thrummed violently against the car´s window, as the motor of the vehicle silenced, the lights going out.

"Fucking stupid brute, can´t even listen to one stupid command. I wonder why I even tag around with you, you are obviously too stupid for everything!" Swearing, cursing the flea muttered these things under his breath- Shizuo wasn´t even sure if he was supposed to reply or not as the flea simply glared at him then switched to the window staring out into the wet darkness.

What the hell-

Why did Izaya freak out like that? He even yelled- Izaya never yelled like that.

Thrumming against the car the raindrops created a pattern of sounds, soothing somehow. The blond let his glance travel along their surroundings, taking in what was around them, but he didn´t spot anything odd.

The rain was heavily handicapping his ability to even make out what was around them, but the moon shining so brightly above them still made it possible to make out certain things.

For example the street in front of them. Houses to each side of it. Slowly but surely his eyes got used to the darkness, everything taking on a clearer shape outside.

He could even make out some stars.

It really was wondrous what a week without any fumes or industry pollution did to the night sky.

But apart from that?

There was nothing.

Drawing his attention back to the raven he noticed he wasn´t paying attention to the outside anymore either.

He had sat up, the blanket still partly wrapped around him as he rubbed his temples.

"... sorry." He almost missed the sigh that reached his ears as the raven looked back at him. "Didn´t mean all that."

Sighing himself now the blond let himself lean back in the car seat.

"I sort of figured." Seeming a bit surprised the raven tilted his head, glancing back at the blond.

"Really?" he mumbled softly.

Of course. Izaya didn´t yell like that.

It also was unusual for the flea to act so... well civilized. There was no hint of a joke or anything in there. He seemed tense for some reason.

"You don´t swear usually, you know." It had been obvious the second Izaya yelled that something was just bothering him other than Shizuo himself.

"What, aren´t you even the slightest bit angry?" he shook his head.

"Not really." He was seriously craving for a smoke by now though. He wished he had kept that last cigarette for just a little while longer. Only faintly he remembered the taste of the nicotine on his lips when he smoked his last cigarette on that shops rooftop. It was when he teamed up with Izaya then, wasn´t it?

"How far have I sunken, really," the raven mumbled, making him snap out of his nostalgic thoughts.

Silence followed.

...

"...so?" he twisted in his seat, letting his back lean onto the driver´s door as he looked at the flea. It was not like he actually saw him because of the lack of light, but he very well could make out his expression.

... he seemed troubled somehow.

"What´s wrong?"

Silence followed, interrupted by nothing but the soft tripping of the rain before the whisper left Izaya's lips.

"... nothing," he mumbled, shaking his head as if to chase away what was bothering him.

"Didn´t sound like nothing to me," the blond argued making the raven frown just the slightest bit.

...

Somehow it annoyed Izaya that the brute seemed to be so persistent. On the other hand though... it was probably him that was annoying him right now. Yelling at him out of nowhere and stuff, without giving a reason.

It was kinda unfair.

...

"... I dreamt about my sisters, okay?" he admitted with a soft sigh.

Shizuo just remained quiet as the raven closed his eyes and let his head lean against the fabric of the seat behind him.

"... Mairu died just because I wanted to keep walking at night." Izaya could still remember it. His stupid obsession of keeping moving. Not stopping anywhere. Just because he thought they could get trapped if they stayed somewhere.

"I turned around, and you know... there was suddenly a dog. It had already bitten her arm." It was his fault, he knew it. "Her eyes were really wide and scared- she looked at me, she just said my name... but it sounded so horrified..."

His voice fading out the raven tried to swallow down the lump that had started to appear in his throat.

Ha... why now? Of all times...

"That sounds horrible..." the blond mumbled, unsure of what to say.

"Just because I wanted to keep going at night."

... Shizuo understood.

So that yelling before- it was probably because of that. Remaining quiet the blond just let his sight trail to the car´s window.

The rain wasn´t letting up, relentlessly pouring from the sky.

To be completely honest he had wondered before, what happened to his sister that is. He always thought the flea was heartless, so he may just have abandoned them, but over the course of their trip it seemed he had a slight misconception about the raven.

If he said they were walking even at night... then he probably just wanted to protect her. Just like he wanted to protect Kasuka.

A soft frown appeared on Shizuo´s face as he recalled the unpleasant memory.

"... did you... kill her?" he whispered, breaking the silence. A silent nod followed.

"...yeah" The raven was sort of smiling and yet... he looked so sad. "Really now, I don´t even know why I dreamt about them. It´s all done and over with."

All done and over with, huh? Just because they died?

"I didn´t even flinch when I shot Kasuka. It just happened. Just like that." Izaya blinked when he heard the blond talk, didn´t look over to him though.

"And then he was dead on the ground." ... Izaya couldn´t help but think about Mairu as the blond kept talking.

Just happened, huh?

"I walked away. I didn´t even bury him. I just... walked away. I don´t know. It somehow felt like I was in a bad dream, and it didn´t actually really happen." He let his eyes slip shut, just listening to Shizuo´s voice. What he said reminded him just way too much of what he did.

It was odd.

He always thought he and Shizu-chan were completely different and yet-

There were similarities it seemed-

"What about you?"

...

Izaya still remembered it.

She was so scared. Shivering. She kept calling him Iza-nii, like a lost child, while sobbing.

He hugged her.

He hugged her really tight.

Until she stilled.

Thinking back to it now he couldn´t believe how careless he had been, how risky he behaved...

She stopped shivering and crying, stopped making any sounds at all, and when Izaya leaned away just a bit... she had white glassy eyes.

She didn´t move.

Not yet.

And then her expression churned. From tired and sad... to...

He had felt his own expression become stoic at the change.

It was just a quick stab.

She didn´t even get to use her lips to emit those gurgling brutish sounds. No.

He didn´t let it get that far.

Just one quick stab.

And she was dead.

He had stood up, and went away.

Just like that...

"...same." His voice sounded hoarse even to his own ears.

He thought he could deal with it better than that and yet, why did he dream of the two now?

It was almost cruel.

"Something like that won´t happen again." It was Shizu-chan who had spoken those words. Turning his head he glanced at the blond. It was dark, yet he could still make out the determination on his expression. "I got your back. And you got mine."

Protecting each other, huh?

Certainly. With Shizu-chan the probability of him turning around to see him being bitten was at least not as great as with his sister...

"...yeah," he was right probably.

A soft smile spreading over his lips he let his eyes slip shut for one more second.

"After all someone´s gotta watch out while you puke your guts out." A chuckle reached his ears.

"Exactly, and someone needs to throw you into buildings to distract the fuckers." Really now.

Taking a deep breath the raven felt a weigh drop off his chest. That sort of thing wouldn´t happen again. Shizu-chan was right.

"You are right, I mean you even saved my life." His eyelids fluttering open once more he let his palm trail over the band aids wrapped around his waist.

Shizu-chan saved his life. Well Izaya did save his ass before, so they were sort of even- but still. What Shizu-chan did was a bit more than what he had done.

... only with dread he remembered what had happened back there.

That thing...

"... ne Shizu-chan. What do you think _that_ was?" His lips felt a bit numb as he recalled the events before he passed out.

That thing... in the hospital... what was that?

Izaya didn´t even need to specify what he was talking about as the blond tensed, obviously getting immediately what he meant.

"... an ordinary zombie?" he tried, hoping that maybe Izaya could explain it somehow, so he wouldn´t have to think that thing was actually something worse- Izaya, however, shook his head.

"It wasn´t like the others Shizu-chan." Of course not.

A frown appeared on the blond´s expression.

"... I feared you would say something like that..." he didn´t like the idea of that thing having been something stronger, some sort of special zombie at all.

"I don´t think you noticed, but that thing busted its way out of the operation room," the flea continued, only making the blond´s blood run colder with each word.

"I think it killed the others." It was dangerous.

That was all Shizuo heard while the raven analyzed the situation. Dangerous, that´s all that he heard from what Izaya said.

He had known the second they stepped into that hospital that it had been a bad idea all along. His guts told him, screamed it at him since the very beginning. He should have listened to them and kept the raven out of there.

"... we can only hope it was the only one of its kind..." Izaya murmured, reaching towards the window. Raindrops were trickling down the cold glass, racing for the end of the door. Softly he touched the icy glass, following a raindrop on his journey as he mimicked it´s movement with his fingertips.

"Don´t worry." As long as Shizuo was there none of these things would hurt the flea again. "I´m stronger than that zombie."

The raven almost had to smile at the blond´s words. Sounded like he was in save hands, didn´t it? He twisted his head, withdrawing his attention from the window and focusing it on the blond instead.

Now that he got used to the darkness it was all too obvious how Shizu-chan didn´t look too well himself.

He talked all confident like this, and yet there were dark circles surrounding his eyes, and a general feeling of exhaustion mirroring Izaya's reflecting in his eyes.

This was really taking a toll on him... more mentally than physically that was true, but still.

"So, since we are not driving on, how about you sleep, hm? Just resting for a night, and tomorrow we can drive on," the raven suggested, making himself get more comfortable as he took in their surroundings. The blond, however, just shook his head obviously not agreeing with Izaya.

"Nah. You need the rest more than me, just sleep on." Because of his injuries?

"I´m fine Shizu-chan, you need to sleep too." After all, he had rested more than enough by now. As long as he didn´t try to run a marathon he should be alright, really.

"I don´t want to." And yet the brute just didn´t seem to get it.

"You need to though, you really-"

"Shit flea, can´t you accept a simple no? I am going to keep watch if one of these strong zombie assholes appears, okay?" A frown appeared on Izaya´s face.

...

Odd, why was he so damn keen on staying awake?

"Sleep is important for the body and mind to regenerate its strength. Now that things are like this you really should pay more attention to your health," Izaya argued, not wanting to sound like he was scolding Shizu-chan or anything, but he really was behaving unwise at the moment.

"Says the one who got injured from a zombie."

... true-

The raven sighed, giving up. Obviously the blond wouldn´t listen to him no matter what he said.

"Sorry... Just sleep okay? One night of staying awake won´t kill me." Somehow the sentence left a bitter feeling on his tongue-

"... one night? You haven´t slept ever since that happened." That, namely as in him getting ambushed by this creepy shit. How long had it been? Two full days? Shizuo bat up a couple zombies meanwhile, was always on alert, it couldn´t be good for him.

"Come on, a tired Shizu-chan can´t take care of anything." He mumbled, sighing deeply as he glanced at the blond once more- only for the blond to not pay any attention to him though.

He had tensed, his stare fixated on something in front of the car-

Izaya twisted his head, wanting to see what he was looking at-

But a hand suddenly pushed his head down before he could even react, making him gasp in surprise-

"Wha-" a glare settled on his face and he looked up at the blond, only to meet an anxiously stern expression- eyes still locked with... something.

The raven kept still, growing anxious as the blond had also leaned down, almost as if he were hiding from something.

The pressure on his head loosened, the hand slipping off as Shizuo just glanced warily at the flea.

His heart beat quickening Izaya leaned up, just the slightest bit- the window coming into sight again. The sky.

The roofs of the houses-

Until he saw _them_.

Feeling his blood run cold and shivers travel down his spine Izaya tensed, not daring to move anymore at all-

There was one- no, not even one.

More movement attracted his attention, in the houses gardens, on the street, behind cars-

Those were no normal zombies-

It were four at least- flesh rotting off their skin, skinny to the bones they kept looking around.

Looking-

They could see.

They were just like the zombie in the hospital.

The raven swallowed, feeling trembles rule his body.

"Still want me to sleep?" it was barely a soft touch, but when a hand suddenly found its way onto Izaya's to pull him down again he couldn´t avoid flinching violently.

"Where the hell are they coming from-" the blond whispered, seemingly not getting just how fucked they were-

This wasn´t good- this wasn´t good at all-

"Shizu-chan we have to get away." The raven burst out, quiet, but still loud enough to make the blond flinch just the slightest. Shizuo only frowned.

"Why? I can kill them just fine. One hit to their heads and-"

"Shizu-chan it´s dark-" He didn´t get it- that brute seriously didn´t get it- "If you punch on the others will jump on you without you even seeing- and we don´t even know if there are more hiding in the darkness-!" not only that-

"Shizu-chan if they spot us now and we go outside-"

If they saw them-

"We will get bitten for sure-!"

Shizuo´s eyes widened considerable as he realized the direness of their situation.

If they found them- even if they tried to drive away, they were strong, that zombie that attacked Izaya, it crashed the wall, they would have no problem, crashing the windows- and they were fast, they would be able to keep up with them for a while- and if they had to stop because they way was blocked-

They would get them- they would get them both-

Shit-

Shit!

Glancing back onto the road he realized with dread that one of them was coming closer- Gnawing, growling- the rain making it only look even more gruesome-

The raven´s breathing accelerated in a heartbeat as he was suddenly pulled down to the small space beneath the steering wheel-

The blanket that had been wrapped around him got tugged away before he could protest and suddenly he found himself pressed up to Shizu-chan-

The blanket resting over their heads-

Not a second too early as a loud noise caught their ears- the thing had jumped onto the roof of the van-

Izaya swore he felt his heart beat right out of his chest.

If it found them- if it noticed-

They would be dead-

-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

**End of chapter 15 C:**

**DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNNNN x'DDDDDD ahahahaha stopping right there yes x'DDDD Gosh what a wonderful cliffhanger -looks at my cruel end- C': xD**

**Now then, how will this continue I wonder~? xDD I hope chu liked the extra-extra- long update xD 4000 words gosh x'D  
**

**See you again on Sunday the 30th~! Ahaha I just noticed the current mood totally fits Halloween next time x'DDDDD**

**See you~! *0* xD**

 


	16. ஜ Gone ஜ

 

-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

**-Izaya´s point of view-**

"...Shizu-chan?" Coughs wracked the raven's body making him grit his teeth in pain as he crawled out of the broken van´s front window- pungent steam was rising from the engine, only one light from the headlights still gleaming- the other´s glass had been smashed, extinguishing it efficiently-

Noises, screams were approaching the scene way too fast to Izaya's liking-

There was no time to waste- Speeding to his feet he ignored the way his body screamed at him and just how his shirt clung sticky and warm to his wound again.

"Shizu-chan?!" It was a hiss, trembling, panic layered thick in it, loud enough for anyone to hear that was nearby, yet an attempt to stay quiet as those things were still on their heels. Panic was making itself noticeable as the raven got no answer-

Warmth trickled down the raven's head, sliding to the corner of his lips, a metal taste welcoming him with open arms.

Only then he caught the mob of blonde hair between rubbish.

"Shit-" the raven dashed to the blond, his side stinging painfully as he felt his stitches move with each step he took- But the blond wasn´t awake.

Blood was trailing down Shizu-chan´s head and his eyes were closed. For a second the raven´s breath hitched as he fell to his knees, his ear finding its way immediately to Shizu-chan´s chest. His heart almost skipped a beat when he didn´t immediately made out the assuring sound of a beating heart and a breathing Shizu-chan-

But he did- he was alive- and yet-

"Fuck-!" he was unconscious-

Swirling around the raven glared at his black surroundings.

The noises came closer- groaning, screaming, he could hear them from afar- not far enough to his liking- he had no time.

Ascertaining the situation- those bastards could see-

They were fast.

From the corner of his eyes he could make out what caused them to crash. A red shield was resting on the ground. Red and white. Construction works.

The road was dug up for just the distance of one fucking meter- The difference of height was what had caused them-

Fuck- he glanced at the blond, glanced back at the road- he couldn´t see them yet, but hear-

There was no way he could get Shizuo away from here. And if they found him-

Izaya didn´t want to think about that option.

Without even wasting a single second he stepped to an already broken wall, blood was sticking to it in one spot slowly being washed away by the rain- with horror he realized it might be Shizu-chan´s- dust, dirt drizzled down from it on top of the blond as he pulled the remains of the store down.

It crackled, made noise, making the raven curse under his breath as the remains of the wall buried the unconscious blond beneath them.

**-A few minutes earlier. Shizuo´s point of view.-**

Shit-

They were fucked.

Loud, dangerous the steps resounded on top of the car´s roof. The metal creaked in protest and Shizuo didn´t dare move, the raven still right beside him. His heart skipped a beat just thinking about how that thing could break in here any second.

Shizuo had no doubt he would be stronger than that creature, no, but when he thought about what Izaya said, about how he wouldn´t see one of its friend coming, biting them- biting Izaya.

It made his blood run cold. Izaya was right. This was no freaking joke. If that thing noticed them they were done-

Holding his breath his hair stood on ends. Creaking, growling noises were being heard from outside. The raven swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut as he just prayed for that thing to not notice them- not now-

Not when he had gathered what he needed to put an end to all this.

It would be too cruel!

And then the steps stopped.

His ears trying to catch any sound he tried to figure out what was happening- the creature was still on top of the roof- others had already surrounded them, he could hear them outside, but all of a sudden it was quiet.

So, so quiet.

"AHHHH!" a scream tore through the night, so loud the raven flinched, not comprehending at first that it wasn´t one of the creatures that had yelled at them or spotted them inside the car, no-

The scream had come from outside- from a lively sounding voice nonetheless-

"TAKASHI!" the raven twisted his head, blank surprise written across his face as he glanced at the blond, meeting an equally stupefied expression.

The car creaked, metal bending slightly beneath the creature as it jumped off the van. Startled the raven jumped when another one seemed to use their vehicle as the shortest route to said noise.

The blond frowned, having heard the voice as well as the sounds of the zombies- who on earth was out there yelling at night?! It had sounded like a girls voice nonetheless!

"Shizu-chan-!" the raven hissed under his breath. So quiet Shizuo nearly didn´t hear it- but he had to see!

Moving the blanket above them just the slightest bit he glanced at both the car´s side windows- nothing. There was nothing but black sky.

It was only when he was completely sure that none of these things was near the car to spot them that he surfaced from the floor- glancing right out of the front window.

Heart beating right up to Izaya throat he shifted as well, his head snapping around in all directions as he looked out for anything threatening.

And then he saw her.

A dozen meters up ahead of their car, there she was, blades shining in the moonlight as they continuously slashed through rotten skin- the creatures screamed, attacked, the woman just laughed- laughed and cried.

A man was laying next to her on the ground- he was torn apart. One of the things eating his insides with delight.

The woman screamed once more, ramming her blade into the creatures skull- it screamed, twitched- she twisted the sword as quickly as she had stabbed it with it and it stilled.

"Who the hell is that?" he heard the blond murmur, but the answer was unnecessary.

Izaya knew that woman.

Now that he looked at her- sure there was blood smeared all over her face, the red gleam in her eyes- but she still wore that pink dress, the same long hair, and that psychotic expression.

There was no mistake.

It was Haruna Niekawa.

"You are supposed to listen! LISTEN!" almost hysteric she turned in circles, faces these things, slashing them over and over and over again-

"Why? Why aren´t you listening?!" But the creatures weren´t kept at bay by her slashes, no. She merely seemed to amuse them, wriggling around like some bait. It almost seemed as if they were playing with her.

With each slash the creatures tugged at her clothes, scratched her skin-

The raven swallowed.

"WHY?!" one of the creatures charged at her, biting her arm- but instead of being terrified the woman just smiled.

A sole smile decorated her expression.

At first it was a giggle, wielding her blade it turned into chuckles and then just right out laughter.

"I just need to cut you more right? Just CUT!" With an insane expression she pierced one of the creatures skull. The rotten body flinched, twitched as blood ran down the blade. The woman didn´t even stop to get the body of the weapon, no she simply kept swaying away with it until the flesh slipped off the dirtied blade.

"Cut!"

Until it fell to the ground motionless. The laughter never ceased, no instead it just got louder-

"Cut, cut, cut-!" she kept repeating and repeating that word-

The creatures jumped at her- it were too many. At first seven, then ten, then thirteen- It was when one of them managed to bite her hand that she dropped the blade-

Laughing she looked at the zombies as they jumped onto her body, tearing away- her stomach, her throat, arms legs-

Gurgling sounds left her throat as she threw up blood. It didn´t take long until one of the creatures screwed her head of her shoulders.

She was ripped open like a fucking Christmas present.

The blond swallowed, averting his gaze from the scene as he could no longer stand to watch- more than terrified he felt sick-

"Shizu-chan now is not the right time to feel nauseous-!" Startled greatly by the loudness of Izaya's voice the blond snapped his head towards him- except the raven was already moving, pushing him aside- to take the driver´s seat?!

Eyes wide he opened his mouth to speak, to ask what the heck Izaya thought he was doing. But his question literally got stuck in his throat when the flea started the car-

Loud, way too loud for Shizuo´s ears the engine roared and the creatures turned towards them-

If not for the sound, the light now shining at them illuminating their horrifying frames was enough to attract them for sure. The vehicle moved faster than he could even grab anything to hold on- the raven´s expression mimicking a determined one.

Now was their chance-! Without even wasting a second thought the raven stepped on the gas-

Wheels screeched, water splashing from the van as he raced right at the scene- the blond hitting his head on the headboard and swearing under his breath-

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! IZAYA?!" but the flea didn´t stop racing, no- the opposite, faster and faster he drove right towards those things- now with the light of the van being present Shizuo was able to discover even more of those creatures in the garden´s surrounding the street-

"If we don't get away from here NOW, then we won´t get away from here ever!"

Holding tightly onto the door´s handle he prepared himself for the impact-

Screams reached his ears, the creatures charging at them- until they jumped towards them-

Startled the raven jerked the car to the side his eyes widening- they could jump?!

_***CRASH*** _

Too late- he couldn´t avoid one of the creatures- the glass burst, a spider web of cracks decorating their vision the groaning scream terrifying the raven to the bone as his foot just barely slipped of the gas pedal-

It was right in front of them, on top of the van, the vehicle still driving at top speed as Izaya saw it reach for him almost in slow motion. Its eyes locked with his own, the stench of rotten flesh infiltrating Izaya's nose-

A flying fist was the only thing that made him unfreeze as the thing was knocked off the van with a scream- the other´s joining in unison-

"DRIVE!" Shizuo´s voice thundered through the night, the rain splashing against their faces as the raven unfroze, squinting his eyes and he steered the van around the creatures as his foot found its way to the gas pedal once more.

Shizuo had stood up, holding onto the van´s frame, parts of the glass cut into his palm, but he didn´t give a fuck as he just tried to make out their surroundings-

Ice cold water splashed against Izaya almost hurting as it attacked his skin- more and more creatures started coming out of the gardens, of the houses- for a second the raven felt like crying, a lump forming in his throat- they were gonna die-

They were gonna fucking die-

Running, chasing those things kept up with them, Izaya was faster but only barely, he couldn´t make out his surroundings- his hands trembled around the steering wheel-

What if one jumped at them now?! What if they were driving right to a dead end?!

Izaya didn´t see a damn thing in front of them! All the van´s light illuminated was this pouring rain!

"IZAYA, RIGHT!" trembling the raven´s hands almost slipped of the steering van, his palms sweating as he pulled the vehicle over- he didn´t even see where the fuck he was driving if Shizu-chan said right he would do so-

The van creaked in protest, the wheels almost taking off the road as he pulled the vehicle into a sharp curve- a parked car right in front of them barely screeching along the side of the van as he avoided the crash-

Cursing, swearing the blond´s head snapped forward, backward, to the side-

But the things were gone! Where the hell did they go?! He couldn´t see them!

How far were they behind?! Or were they just hiding?! Taking a different route to catch them?!

He didn´t know how smart those assholes were after all!

And then he looked ahead of them.

Something glittered- between the raindrops he could make out something red and white-

With dread Shizuo realized what it was-

"IZAYA STO-!"

_***CRASH*** _

Too late- protesting metal creaked, the van got thrown to the side- tires leaving the road as the heavy vehicle lost its balance entirely- Pulled to the side the van got thrown onto its roof- the blond couldn´t keep himself in there as the sheer power of the crash threw him out of the van-

Something hard met his head-

Pain-

Fuck it hurt-

And then everything faded to black...

...

..

.

..

...

It was quiet. Really quiet.

His ears rang and his head hurt so much- out of reflex Shizuo tried to reach for the painful spot on the side of his head.

Just- he couldn´t. Confusion was making itself noticeable as he opened his eyes, trying to cancel out the dizzy spell as he tried to make out his surroundings.

Except there was nothing to see.

Coughing wracked his body as he tried to take in a deep breath, dust invading his lung by mistake. Only through the twitching movement he realized he was burying beneath something.

Finding his strength again he tried to push himself up from the ground.

Part of broken bricks and dirt fell of his body as he rose his frame off the ground. Rain and fresh air met his skin.

Around him it was quiet.

Night.

No one was there, no zombies, no nothing-

Feeling oddly relieved despite having troubles to make out his surroundings in any other form that doubled vision he smiled.

Ah, they must have made it, right? Izaya that crazy-

But then his eyes widened.

Izaya.

Wait.

His head snapped around, ignoring the way it made his vision sway even worse. But he was alone- completely alone. The van had crashed- it was definitely broken not usable anymore. But that was all-

"Izaya?" the blond whispered, trying to stay calm as he assured himself that he just didn´t see the flea, that he was around here somewhere for sure-

But there was no response.

"OI, IZAYA?!" The loudness of his voice caused him to cringe, his head hurting with each syllable he spoke.

Nothing.

Shit, no-

No, no, no-

He tried to get up, the remains of the wall leaving his body-

Where were the fast ones?!

WHAT happened to Izaya?!

They couldn´t have gotten him, no- no, right?

No way- no-

With dread Shizuo thought back in what kind of shape Izaya had been.

He was hurt.

He has had a fever. Shizuo had no way to know in what kind of shape he was-

He couldn´t have ran away... right? He would have been too slow-

But then.

NO.

No.

No.

No.

This couldn´t be happening-

-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

**To be continued~ C:**

**Now, now for all those that are already horrified thinking they are going to die both- just one note from my part xD**

**I enjoy writing this story way too much right now, and I got so many chapters planned, this isn´t going to be over anytime soon x'D Regardless the end, be it bad or good, who knows~ this is probably gonna have at least 20 more chapters if not way more xD**

**Sowy, not sowy for le cliffhanger again x'DDDDD haha I love writing them x'DD**

**Well then with that being said~ Happy Halloween *0* xDDD this chapter was suiting for today, don´t you think? xD Also I have a little surprise for you minna C: Keep a look at the "Story pictures & stuff C: C;" section on my AO3 account cx You will get something there today xD **

**See you again on Sunday the 13th~!**

**PS.: SD and Ne WILL come out today still! Sowy for being a bit late (again)**


	17. ஜ Silver blades ஜ

-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

**-Shizuo´s point of view-**

"Izaya?!" Panic started taking over his dizzy mind as he took in his surroundings- not giving a damn about whether there were any of these things- It was dark, soft rain was pouring down from the sky and he couldn´t make his vision become clear-

He pushed himself onwards, walking just a few steps away from the scene- the rain was only making it more difficult to take in his surroundings.

Those monsters were gone and Izaya- his brows furrowing deeply he snapped his head around, looking for some sign, looking for a hand waving at him in secret- because the flea had to be hidings somewhere right? There was no way he could have run away from those zombies- but he could have hidden. So he had to be waiting somewhere, grinning at him like he always did-

Make a joke about how he just passed out like that and shit-

That´s right, Izaya was somewhere- for sure-

Because if he weren´t then-

A cold shudder run down the blond´s back as he considered that option for a second.

He shook his head, not caring about the added dizziness it caused.

He had to find Izaya-

Windows, passed, the car´s light faded in the distance as the blond dashed away from the scene. Only barely he could even make out his surroundings and he was well aware of the fact that those zombies could be waiting anywhere for him, but still. If he didn´t run now, if he wasn´t fast enough then Izaya might be dead by the time he found him-

Water splashed when his steps resounded in the air- it was way too loud for his taste and not only he was thinking that way-

A soft groan made his blood run cold and he twisted his head, meeting a zombie´s dead and glassy looking eyes emerging from an alley- It wasn´t one of the fast ones, no, but that didn´t mean it wasn´t dangerous.

Snapping his head around the blond reached for the nearest street sign, metal creaking and protesting violently as the blond fist enclosed around it.

The groaning grew louder, the zombie approaching, having heard as well as probably smelled the nearby meal-

Shizuo didn´t let it get any closer though as he swung the shield down on the disgusting creature.

It was just that one swing with the sign and the head of the zombie emitted a platting noise that reminded Shizuo of the sound huge spiders made when you stepped on them- all the guts bursting out as they die.

And so it was silent again. Rain dripping down from the sky, washing away the blood. The zombie dead.

It was only then, when he stood above the zombie, heaving, blood oozing out of its smashed head and the stench filling Shizuo´s nostrils that a certain thought struck Shizuo like lightning making him freeze.

What... if he did meet Izaya again-

But as a zombie.

A hand found its way to his forehead as the blond´s eyes widened-

NO.

No, that wouldn't happen right?

But the image of a zombie- Izaya, walking towards him, with eyes glassy as theirs, blood dripping from his mouth and fingers from his previous meal-

No.

No- no that couldn´t be-

The blond trembled, the grip on the street sign tightening as he stared at the ground his eyes wide.

And suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder-

Startled the blond flinched heavily, turning around only half as he swung the sign at whatever was there-

A loud groan was to be heard as the hard metal met the body, sending him to the ground. The blond froze, blinking quickly at the man he had just sent down, laying on his back and holding his forehead.

"Shizu-chan, it´s me, you fucking dick-!"

Izaya.

The blond blinked and rubbed at his eyes thinking that now he might have just passed out due to feeling dizzy all the time- but no-

"Izaya-" Relief filled his mind as he dropped the sign, crouching down immediately. "Fuck, I´m sorry- Are you okay? Why did you not say anything?!" the raven merely groaned and glared at the former dept collector as he helped him up again.

"I called your name two times you deaf protozoan-" Izaya hissed, quiet however, obviously trying to not attract any form of unwanted attention.

"What-?" Shizuo couldn´t recall that sort of thing- he had been smashing down that zombie and before that or after that he hadn´t heard anything, really.

He was about to ask the raven where he had been, how he got away and where those zombies was, but something else drew his attention way quicker.

It was the smooth and sticky feeling to his palm that made the blond look more closely at the flea. With horror he realized what it was.

"Izaya you are bleeding again-!" with dread he looked at the rather huge crimson stain already staining the flea´s waist.

"No kidding-" it was only then Shizuo noticed that despite his calm expression Izaya's breathing seemed to be a bit off. In the night and dark and his panic on top he hadn´t even realized the cut on Izaya's forehead, the soft dried trail of blood emitting from there or how beaten the flea looked in general.

"Is that the friend you were talking about?" Startled the blond snapped his head around, the words having been spoken by the voice of a woman. It was still raining and yet he could clearly make out the person that was now approaching them, having a red glimmer in her eyes.

"Who are you?" he questioned, all his senses preparing themselves to run away or defend the flea if she was some kind of even worse evolved zombie- The red eyes did seem familiar in weird sense, but his mind didn´t even try rummaging in his memories for the answer as he glared at the woman.

"An ally for now if you need to know," again it was her voice that was speaking, but cut short as her expression grew just the slightest more serious. She twisted her head and Shizuo followed her glance- only to see what she was staring at.

The creatures- the ones that chased them-

Unwillingly his grip on the flea tightened- and a thought formed in his head that seemed so logic despite being impossibly optimistic as he narrowed his eyes at the creatures.

He was going to protect Izaya- Izaya was going to be fine because he would defeat them all if needed.

Despite all that it wasn´t Shizuo, however, who beat them up, no. Before he knew it the woman had lifted her hand and ... swords flew out of nowhere? Silver metal was suddenly filling the sky and they were floating above them, reflecting moonlight softly as they multiplied and multiplied-

For a second Shizuo thought he was imagining things, but no, they were true. Before those creatures could even approach the group of three, the swords stabbed themselves into the concrete ground, circular, surrounding Izaya and him as well as the woman that had approached them- and before he knew it their surroundings turned pitch black.

It was when a soft little flame illuminated the darkness that Shizuo realized what had happened. They were inside of what seemed like a giant tent of swords.

Screaming was to be heard and the swords were hit from the outside, but the metal did not budge in the slightest. The flame had come from a lighter the woman was holding and lighting a candle of her own with.

Only disbelieving the blond could stare at her and what she did, not able to make sense of what he just saw. Not able to make sense of what even jut happened-

"She is a Saika user, like the one who attacked you, but a different one, her name is Kasane Kujiragi," Izaya filled him in, seeming like he had already figured the blond would be craving for answers. Unfreezing the blond looked at the flea again remembering that he was still hurt and all these questions that were swarming in his head.

"What even happened to you? I woke up beneath a pile of trash and you were gone-" The raven snorted at the way Shizu-chan put it.

"That pile of trash saved your ass actually."

Confused the blond blinked.

"What?"

The raven sighed, letting his head thud against the metal behind him as he let himself slump down to the ground.

He was tired. Extremely so.

He needed a break. Yeah. Orihara Izaya was admitting that maybe he had been pushed to his limits.

If it hadn´t been for that woman to appear out of nowhere and see him running from the zombies- he didn´t even want to imagine what they would have done to him.

Torn him apart like the other Saika user probably, maybe tried to do more-

He gulped when he remembered how the zombie back at the hospital had grabbed the hem of his shirt- he thought he just wanted to kill him, crush him- but only now he realized that he actually had been about to pull his guts out like they did with Haruna.

It made him feel nauseous and scared at the same time- and he didn´t have the reserves anymore to just brush that off as a memory. It had barely been half an hour that passed since he woke up in the car and yet he already knew that nightmares were going to haunt him from this experience.

"You had passed out," he started slowly, explaining what had happened after they crashed. "You got thrown out of the car, you must have crashed with your stubborn head right against the wall or something it's a wonder you aren´t dead-" Ah, that was a moment he would see recur in his dreams for sure as well.

That sight when Shizuo was laying on the ground, not moving anymore.

He still wondered why it had shocked him so much, but no matter how much he tried to analyze the situation and build up logic conclusion, like the one that he was just worried about his own safety, he knew that he had been distraught by the prospect of the blond having died.

It was going to haunt him as well.

"I couldn´t drag you anywhere those bastards were right at my heels you know. So I hid you and ran on."

Hid- the blond blinked, now that Izaya said it, it made sense and yet- he almost felt angry at the flea for what he did.

"You put that shit on me?" he asked and Izaya didn´t miss the hostility in his voice only adding anger to his own exhausted distress.

"That shit saved your life," he hissed, not getting what the brute was even going on about.

It wasn´t even that Shizuo was mad at Izaya for burying him beneath dirt, no that´s not it-

"You fucking risked your life at that moment- you already got injured why did you not just run away right away?" It was the chance of Izaya dying just because he was risking his life for _him_ -

"Injured?" the woman suddenly threw in, having stayed quiet all along. She had sounded a tad worried, yet her expression still stayed the same kind of stoic as before.

It almost reminded him of his brother.

"I wasn´t bitten or anything, but I got injured. A rib pierced my lung," Izaya explained quickly, answering the question whether she had to fear he was going to turn into one of those meat eating creatures soon.

"I did wonder why you were bleeding as much as you do. May I see?" The raven smirked just slightly. Of course she wouldn´t just believe him like that of course. You don´t just trust Orihara Izaya´s word.

Letting his hand trail down he softly pulled at the sticky shirt he was wearing. A pained his escaped his lips when he pulled the sticky shirt up, moving the band aids just the slightest. And there he didn´t even get to the really painful thing yet-

Layer after layer he started unwrapping the white or rather now red texture off his waist. More and more it clung to his skin until the last layer rested on top of the injury-

His other hand curled into a fist and his teeth clenched as he pulled the last bit off his skin. All while the blond was watching him with an expression that almost looked like he wanted to beat someone up.

"What a poor job," the woman commented, inspecting the wound, offending the blond all the same.

"Well.. sorry I´m not a surgery doctor or anything..." Shizuo mumbled just the slightest offended. He gave his best, Izaya lived, what else was there to want for?

"You did that?" She turned to face the blond who sat down next to Izaya as well now.

"Yeah. Izaya instructed me what to do before he passed out kinda." The woman hummed, still staying the same stoic way though.

"I may redeem my first impression, it´s an amazing good job considering it was a first try. I´m surprised he is actually alive."

Shizuo didn´t know whether he should be in joy to hear that or feel his stomach drop at the prospect of the chances having been pretty damn high for Izaya to not survive-

"I told him so too, but he didn´t take me serious." Shifting away from the raven the woman got up again the swords above her almost touching the top of her head. It wasn´t the biggest sword tent they had.

But it was effective. Izaya didn´t hear the groans anymore.

"You are aware that being wounded is close to a death promise at this point in time, yes?" the woman, asked, one eyebrow raised in question while blond almost froze at the question.

"What?" he repeated, glancing at the flea who was only shaking his head however.

"She is just joking Shizu-chan, calm down."

Joking huh...? Somehow Shizuo wasn´t so sure anymore he could really believe what Izaya told him.

"... so what do we do now?" the raven asked the question aimed at the woman in front of them who had her arms crossed as she watched the fire of the candle on the ground flicker.

"We wait till its morning, they can´t stand the sunlight."

...

"...wait what?" Izaya asked, his expression dropping for a second. The woman glanced at him just for a second before she looked at the candle again.

"These alliterated zombies. They hate the light. Once the sun rises they will be gone into houses."

They will be-

Sighing deeply the blond let his head thud against the metal swords behind him.

"Fuck- finally some good news." They were only outside at night- that meant if they only traveled in the day and were cautious enough to find a save place for the night, they could avoid these bastards- if just they had known that earlier!

"Do you know what they are? What they came from?" Izaya questioned further, hoping to gain more Intel from the woman, but she just shook her head.

"Sadly not. I was investigating them with Haruna-san and her boyfriend, but we lost each other out of sight so I don´t know if she gathered any valuable data."

That made the blond blink for a second.

"...wait, is that girl maybe a woman in a pink dress...?"

"Indeed, how come you know that?"

Oh.

Shit-

"... we kind of.. saw her," the blond mumbled slowly, still remembering detailed just how those guys got her and ripped her apart.

She was probably the only reason they were still alive now...

The woman nodded to herself, the blond not even needing to talk on as she figured out just what had happened when they saw her.

"So she died. I calculated the probability of that happening. It doesn´t surprise me."

It doesn't- what? Shizuo had expected at least some sort of sadness or at least a change of expression on her face, but she just remained as stoic as she had been before.

"Aren´t you... sad?" he asked, already feeling the question was unnecessary when he asked it.

"No. After all we were just allies in this doomed world."

... just allies, huh? And alleys meant she didn´t give a fuck about those two?

"That´s sorta fucked up," the blond mumbled, ruffling through his hair. "This whole world is fucked up-"

"Anyway," the woman clapped approaching the flea again. "As you might remember I only saved you because you said you have a couple interesting pieces of information for me- what is it that I will be glad to know?"

Oh yes, Izaya did. He saw her fight against the zombies, defend herself more than just amazingly well and his brain went working quicker than his tongue could even stutter the words. If there was anything he had ever been good at then it was dealing with information.

"That´s how you persuaded her to help us?" Shizuo asked, raising an eyebrow. He knew very well that Izaya didn´t have any sort of special knowledge about what was going on. Except for the fact that the ordinary zombies were blind, but that fact was clear to all of them by now he guessed. "You don´t know anything."

And there was a long pause.

A pause in which Izaya just glanced at the blond and then back at the woman. Looking forth and back as his lips moved slowly.

"... well, actually I do."

**To be continued C:**

**I´m evil I know xDDD And yes, yes cliffhangers give meh life xDDDDDDD I live for the fucking cliffhangers xD**

**-coughs- anyway~ C: Now I bet you wonder what sort of information Izzy has C: or maybe some of you know already hehe xD**

**Also also, thank chu very much "Guest 2" C: She helped me and read this chapter to look for severe mistakes or typos so I could post it today- BE GRATEFUL PEOPLE xDDD**

**Well then, this was it C': thanks for reading xD**

**I will see you again on Sunday the 27th for the net update hehe Cx 3 love ya all 3**


	18. ஜ Revelations ஜ

-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

For a second the blond could do nothing but blink at the response.

He... knew? Izaya knew something useful about their situation that he didn´t tell him yet? Shizuo was confused to say the least, he thought he already knew everything there was- and yet Izaya said he had some sort of crucial information?

Since when? Did he knew what he was speaking about all along? Was it something important? The way Izaya looked at him made him think it was something really important that Izaya shouldn't have hidden- it made Shizuo frown.

Silence dominated the scene as the woman kept waiting patiently for the raven to continue. It was a heavy silence, feeling as though it was pressing all air out of Izaya´s lungs.

Clearing his throat he eyed both of them warily- right now he wasn´t quite sure what to expect of the blond. Ever since they met, Shizu-chan did say he didn´t want to know whatever Izaya was planning on doing, but keeping information like this from him he couldn´t ascertain whether he would get mad or just take it like good news-

"...I told you about my sisters right?" he started slowly, seeing as the blond wasn´t saying anything so far. "What do you think I did in between the time they got infected and the time they died?" The blond blinked, remembering how Izaya had told him about her- he had had a nightmare about both of them.

From what Izaya told him she had been bitten by a zombiefied dog, hadn´t she? And his first sister... she died from the virus and didn´t even turn into a zombie.

"... probably comforted them...?" he tried, he did realize by now that Izaya had loved his siblings rather than hated like he always had pretended to, there was no way he would just leave her behind or anything- the raven shook his head however.

"I´m not the type to just accept fate like that, Shizu-chan. You should know me well enough."

_Accepting fate?_

Shizuo didn´t know what the flea was even getting at- he said he had some unknown important information about this whole zombie shit- what did that have to do with his sister?

"So, what did you do?"

Groaning and the sound of fists hitting the metal tent from outside filled the moment as the raven remained quiet, thinking how he should start to explain this.

"Kururi was one of the first to get infected, as you know," As thought, it would be best to explain from the start. "I always kept track of everything those doctors tried, what they said, how they analyzed this "virus". I did what I could best, gathered data and researched for myself. I did the same after Marie got infected and researched."

True this sounded a lot more like the flea. The blond frowned a bit at the direction this was going. What the flea was talking about had been a long time ago- just what was it that he felt the need for to explained detailed? Was he trying to avoid getting him mad?

Just for a split second the blond felt put off- he shared everything with the flea, these past days they had watched out for each other and experienced so many different things- the prospect of the flea having hidden something all along nagged at him.

"You want to create an antidote," the woman suddenly stated out of the blue, crossing her arms in front of her body while the blond could only blink stupidly at the statement.

_Wait, what?_

The raven glanced at the blond, somehow he didn´t even care too much about whether Kujiragi thought this piece of information was useful. What seemed to matter way more was how the blond reacted to this.

"Ah, Kasane-chan now you spilled the secret," he chuckled softly, yet nervous, still looking at Shizu-chan, "to be completely honest... I think I already found something you could call a _formula_ to create said antidote."

For a second it was just really quiet. The woman´s eyes widened just the slightest bit.

"To-"

To be honest Shizuo didn´t even know how to react to that kind of newsflash- A formula for an antidote... that meant, Izaya knew how to return those things to the way they were?!

For a second something welled up in his chest that he could only define as anger- because Izaya fucking knew and Izaya could have saved them already- he could have just-

...

No.

But then he remembered what Izaya had told him before. In the van. He had a nightmare because of his sister. He had shot up from his sleep, he looked really devastated about it-

He didn´t create the antidote yet, if he had, then he wouldn´t have let his sister die. Had someone asked Shizuo a week ago, he would have thought Izaya would just abandon his sisters without a second thought, but by now... Shizuo knew Izaya had been honest when he told him about his sisters.

So whatever he did find out, he found it out too late.

Feeling the feeling of anger fleeting away steadily he sat down on the ground as well. For once in his life he wanted to calm down and listen to the end.

"What exactly do you mean by formula?" he found himself asking his voice sounding way calmer than he felt.

The raven seemed fidget as he kept looking at the blond.

"I don´t really know how to explain since you both don´t really have any knowledge in this regard. But let´s just say I think I found the _recipe_ to create an antidote." Somehow Izaya's tongue felt heavier and heavier with each word he spoke. He couldn´t shake off this feeling that he was betraying the blond. It was odd considering they had only teamed up because of the zombies. "Of course there is no guarantee it will actually work, but I think it´s highly possible," he continued, swallowing dry as the blond didn´t respond.

This behavior of Shizu-chan, being calm like this- he didn´t know what to make of it. If he were angry he could understand it, if her were glad he could understand it too, but being so ... reserved about it, it put him off. The odd thought that maybe Shizu-chan was just disappointed him struck him.

"So what you carry around in that bag-" all of a sudden it all made sense- Why Izaya wanted to go to the hospital, why Izaya had always taken care of his bag and why Shizuo heard something click in it when he carried it- "There are there tools in it for the purpose of creating this antidote." The raven nodded solemnly.

"... so the important information you have is the solution to that antidote?" The woman sighed, letting her crossed arms hang down again loosely. "It sounds like a nice make belief goal, but you have my respect for trying so hard."

The raven nodded, he was well aware that what he said sounded way too sweet of a story to be actually true. But it didn´t change the fact that he was saying the truth. He honestly did believe that this solution he had come up with could change the creatures back to the way they were.

"Our paths will be parting by tomorrow morning. While I don´t intend to stay with you two, you did give me fairly valuable information so I won´t take my swords down until the sun rises," the woman continued, relieving the raven at least a bit.

The person that bothered him the most was still remaining as quiet as he had during the whole time he revealed his knowledge...

"Thank you," Shizuo said, looking at the woman for once as he just sat there, still not getting mad or anything.

Izaya really didn´t know what to make of the blond´s reaction to the news.

"Now, if you excuse me," Kijiragi suddenly spoke up, her eyes gleaming reddish, "it´s already late, all of us should be sleeping to recharge our bodies. Do not worry, the swords won´t disappear or anything during the night." And with that statement a dozen of more swords appeared and rammed themselves into the ground, creating something that could only be called... a wall? It definitely divided the tent like save haven into two parts.

"She locked us out," Shizuo commented sounding a tad stupefied, yet not all too surprised.

"... well she is a woman after all, I doubt she wants us to see her sleep. Doesn´t seem like she would get scared on her own either, so..." Izaya, even though he didn´t even see it coming, wasn´t really that surprised about her behavior.

"True."

...

Silence filled the atmosphere as none of the two continued speaking. The raven was still sitting there, fairly close to Shizuo even considering the woman had halved the already small space. His shirt was still shoved up, the wound exposed to fresh air. For now the bleeding had stopped and the blood seemed to start becoming a crust.

He would need band aids for this tomorrow. But more importantly...

For once not really knowing what to say he glanced at the blond who was still being oddly quiet. And yet the silence was just too heavy. He didn't even know what it was, he could care less if the blond was mad or something, but somehow he felt the need to defend himself, to explain why he didn´t say anything- just...

"... ne, are you mad at me?" the blond blinked, not having expected such a direct question.

"You know, because I didn´t tell you I know that sort of thing." The flea looked like he felt... guilty?

...

For not telling him?

"You did say you didn´t want me to tell you what my plan is, but I guess this kind of information... I don´t know, I feel like I should have said it." Fuck his bad conscience. The moment Izaya said the words he knew he shouldn´t have put it that way, honesty was never what others wanted to hear. He should have lied about only having discovered it recently, so recent that he had no chance to tell him- and yet, he felt the need to tell the blond the truth.

"... I'm not mad or anything though." Shizuo said, obviously surprising the flea who had clearly been expecting a different answer. Sure, Shizuo had gotten angry at first for a moment, but he knew already that it had been stupid to feel that way. "You said you aren´t 100% sure it works, right?"

"Yeah, I can´t say it will work with certainty, it´s not like I´m a biochemical scientist or anything fancy like that. I don´t know if what I calculated is actually correct." The blond had thought so, after all, if he really had created something like this or tested it in any way, then he wouldn´t have wasted his time travelling around like this.

"Then it doesn´t make any difference. Whether you had told me or not it wouldn´t have changed a thing about our situation or how we ended up here." After all, all their conversations, their experiences, their conversations, none of that would have changed just because of a slim hope for things to return to normal that might as well be futile.

"Sure, it was sort of odd to hear you have been hiding something from me, but then again I requested that myself, didn´t I? We never pledged to tell each other everything or something like that. We only agreed on teaming up to survive and protect each other... and I think, considering what we went through so far, neither of us has a reason to doubt that."

Somehow it was odd, Izaya didn´t really give a damn about what Shizuo was thinking of him, and yet those words made him feel incredibly relieved.

"Then, let´s make a promise now, to not hide anything anymore," the raven chirped, somehow in a really good mood again. He hadn´t really planned on leaving the blond in the dark so now that everything was settled there was no need to keep anything from the blond. Even more so considering that the world was going to be doomed anyway.

The blond blinked, a bit surprised by such a request.

"... really? I don´t have anything interesting to share you know." Izaya couldn´t be thinking he was hiding something too, right? That didn´t seem to be the case though as the raven nodded.

"I know, but if I really did die it would also be a waste to not have told something important like this to another person, you know, so the information doesn´t get lost."

... when he died?

Somehow this made the blond frown really deep. It made him recall the conversation about how Izaya wanted Shizuo to burn him when he died way too much. It wasn´t even long that he really nearly died after that. It almost seemed like a bad omen to talk about death like this.

And the thought of Izaya telling him everything he knew just in case he died... it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"You know what? No." The raven blinked a bit surprised that the blond wasn´t all in for it.

"No?" After all, even before Japan was zombified the blond called him a shady flea for his secret scheming and information broking.

"Keep your secrets, and don´t tell them anyone. If you don´t want the information to get lost then you have to survive, you hear me?"

Ah-

So that´s what this was about.

...

Izaya had already realized Shizu-chan seemed to be quite... dependent on him if one could put it that way. The thought of him dying was obviously something that really freaked Shizu-chan out.

He didn´t know whether it was because he thought he would be left all alone, or maybe because he thought he couldn't survive on his own.

... a small tiny voice in the back of his head even stated something ridiculous as the blond seeing him as a friend by now that he definitely wanted to protect.

... that was nonsense of course and yet it somehow had a nice feeling to it.

"... alright," he smiled. There was no need to pry further into that matter.

Glancing at the blond he noticed that he was fidgeting. The past days he noticed the motion a couple time, Shizu-chan just moved his thumb to his lips, just touching them. To Izaya it seemed like an oral fixation. And he would be damned if he didn´t know why he was developing that now.

"Craving a smoke?" he asked with a soft chuckle, attracting the blond´s attention. He paused the motion, removing his hand from his face.

"It´s not like I´m addicted to it or anything, but I sure would love one of those right now," he defended himself, and Izaya really did believe that. With all this shit going on and him not smoking for a couple days he would have shown any serious symptoms if he really were addicted to it.

"Your lungs are probably happy about the change, though," he commented, slipping out of his coat as he spread it behind his back. He was slowly but surely getting tired. Kasane-chan was probably right about what she said. This was a good time to just rest up for whatever was to come tomorrow.

Letting himself lay down on his side softly he sighed content.

This was better than the tree too. The swords were keeping any breeze from making him shiver and get cold, and the size of the tent like emergency house was small enough to actually get warm just by their body heat.

It was really cozy-

"Ne, Izaya..." the raven blinked softly, having just closed his eyes as he glanced at the blond. "One thing I want to know after all," the blond mumbled, laying down on his back as well, head resting upon his crossed arms.

"What is it?"

...

It wasn´t as if Shizuo were mad at Izaya or anything, no, it might have seemed that way to him before, but actually he was just wondering... just what exactly happened back then.

"... about your sister..." he probably wouldn´t get an answer, and he didn´t really crave for one... but...

"What exactly happened after the dog bit her?"

**To be continued C:**

**Now no worries my dear readers xDD Shizuo didn´t get mad C': and they made up pretty quick too~! *0* gosh they are acting so sweet and even though Izaya likes to pretend he doesn't give a fuck about Shizuo and whether he is there or what he thinks about him, he actually does give way too many fucks about it xDD that cutie haha**

**Now now, next chapter will be a tiny bit sad considering the question Shizuo asked, but hey, it will also be very sweet C: and a bit worrying perhaps xDDD**

**Also important info, you may have noticed, or maybe you didn´t, but my updating schedule is being changed xD just slightly though C:**

**Instead of SUNDAYS on which I update really late only always anyway, I will be updating my stories on MONDAYS from now on C: I just realized this fits way better with everything else I gotta do like studying and shit, and as said I end up posting only Monday so often anyway, it´s not even really a change xDD**

**And hey, that way the hated Monday has something good to it, no? xDDD**

**So anyway, just leaving this info here so you aren´t waiting each Sunday and wonder why there are no updates C':**

**Well then, with that being said, see you on MONDAY the 19th~!**

**On a tiny lil side note- I got nerve inflammation again ;-; fuck my life I swear- I will try to be on time this Monday though 3**


	19. ஜ Reminiscence ஜ

-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

**-Shizuo´s point of view-**

He felt rude to be asking such a sensitive question, and yet... he had seen Izaya get nightmares about it, he couldn´t just leave it like that.

It wasn´t like he was angry or like he wanted to remind the raven of what happened... but-

"You just said she died anyway," Kasuka turned fairly fast, it didn´t even take long, but was it the same for Izaya? He said he had time to research- that didn´t sound like it was over quickly...

"You wonder how, don´t you?" the raven sighed, turning just so much he was able to look at Shizu-chan´s face.

"...I do, but that´s not it." He really shouldn´t be asking this sort of thing- it wasn´t even as if he wanted to know because he was curious- that wasn´t it. "I mean if you don't want to talk about it it´s fine too, but I just thought... talking about Kasuka with you, you know, it made me feel better." That might have sounded stupid since Izaya seemed to deal with everything way better than he could ever dream to, but somehow he wanted to return the favors Izaya had given him. "Punching the shit out of you made me feel better, so-" Be it when he let him talk about Kasuka, or rather forced him to, and made him hit him to get rid of this tension inside his head... he just wanted to help for once as well. "I want to return the favor."

A soft chuckle was to be heard from the spot where Izaya laid. The candle Kasane had lit had remained in their half of the tent, allowing the blond to actually look at the flea.

"Want me to beat the shit out of you?" Izaya chuckled, twisting his head just the slightest bit to meet his glance. The blond shrugged, he wouldn´t mind, though he knew the raven was joking.

"If it helps." Izaya didn´t need to be a genius to realize that the blond actually meant what he said. And yet...

"... talk, huh?" He didn´t know if he wanted that sort of thing. He had been trying his hardest to just forget about it. It was nasty enough that he still remembered every single detail about that day, and now? Recalling everything and talking about it? He didn't know if he wanted to.

Silence filled the tiny space for a little while, almost making the blond regret his question. He had intended well with it, and yet...

"...sorry, it wasn't the best idea probably." Shizuo found himself mumbling and rolled on his back again, looking at the ceiling instead.

Maybe it was an odd way to put it like this but he wanted the flea to rely on him, to just know that he could talk to him, that he could do anything he needed to.

That he was there for him too. They only had each other right now, and Shizuo wasn´t so sure whether they would even meet anyone else they knew in a non zombified state.

Shizuo didn´t even get why Izaya did it, but he only _helped_ him so far, he supported him in everything he did- in a weird sense he knew he could count on the flea.

Even if he hated the idea of the louse getting hurt over him or doing something that put him into danger like before- he just knew Izaya wouldn´t abandon him.

It really was almost as if they had become friends.

"...there just isn´t much to say..." having caught the spoken words the blond turned his head towards the flea once more- "It happened so fast you know..."

**-Flashback. Izaya´s point of view.-**

"Izaya-" panic was reflecting in the girls eyes- tears dropping down her face- her entire body was shivering and trembling. As if she were trying to hide it she tightened her grip on the wound on her forearm.

Heaving, rage still filling his heart the raven kicked the dog whose throat he had just slit with his knife. Blood was oozing out of the dead creature as it smashed against the wall of the abandoned apartment.

It bit her-

It fucking bit her-

Somehow he felt nauseous, he felt light headed, he felt himself silently praying that he was having a nightmare right now, that this was just a dream and he would wake up any second-

It couldn´t have bitten Mairu, it couldn´t- if it did-

NO. It couldn´t!

Mairu was everything he had left- she was the only one still here, she was his sister, his little sister-

Kururi had already died because of this shit- so she couldn't- she-

"Iza-nii... I don´t want to die-" the soft crying voice made him turn around to face his little sibling. His eyes softened at the sight, his lips curled downwards, the usual smile had been dropped long ago. NO, no he couldn´t be like this.

Swallowing hard he eased his expression back into a light hearted one.

Mairu was scared, the way she looked at him, she was just so scared. She was trembling, she was afraid, this wasn´t the time to succumb to panic and despair. Taking a step towards his sister he pulled her close without hesitation.

His little sister... she wasn´t even that little anymore. She was almost grown up, just the slightest bit shorter than him. And yet right now, she looked so scared, every ounce of her usual cheerfulness and her usual confidence had simply faded away leaving nothing but the little girl he knew all life long.

"It´s alright, no worry. I will make everything okay again. I promise." He spoke intently, trying to give his best to sound as convincing as he could. The girl was still trembling violently, hot tears stained the raven´s shoulder.

"But you can´t- Kururi died too- she just-" Mairu choked out under tears.

It made the raven feel like crying too, hearing his sister sound so despaired and lost. Tightening his hug he shook his head softly, knowing she would get the motion.

"You aren´t Kururi and we already know what you have, those doctors were just too slow, okay? We can do this together." Grasping the girl´s shoulders softly he pushed her away, gently, just so much he could look her in the eyes.

Tears had gathered there, dripping of her face relentlessly as she wiped away at them.

"Everything will be fine Mairu, I promise."

He promised.

He told her he would save her. Mairu had smiled, just the slightest bit, even though was still trembling the whole time. He had a feeling Mairu knew how slim the chances were for her to survive and yet, he hoped he gave her just a little bit of hope at least.

It was way too late to stop the virus from spreading through the girl's body and the raven had no idea if he could even save her- but that didn´t mean he couldn´t make her feel better by saying what he did.

No time was wasted as the raven headed together with his sister to a nearby hospital- it was small, way too crowded by dead meat eating creatures. Stab after stab followed- he almost used up all his knifes.

The sun was already appearing at the horizon when he moved a shelf in front of a patient´s room- in it he had gathered every book he could find and every medical device he could grasp.

Electricity was down for the most part, the only thing spending light inside this room besides for the small window on the right, was a small candle he had lit on a desk he moved in here.

And so he read- he read and studied- he calculated in his head, wrote down countless of theories only to scratch them out after a few minutes again.

Paper after paper went flying as he tried to find a way, to find a solution to defeat this virus, to make it kill itself or develop some sort of amazing antibody that could kill the deadly virus in Mairu´s blood right away.

...

It only took a few hours until she developed the fever.

...

Slowly but gradually she was getting hotter. He told her to rest on the patient bed in the room and wait just a bit because he was almost done with it. A lie... again.

The fever rose by the minute.

He tried his hardest- and then... he found a way.

Leaning over his written notes he grasped the pieces of paper, going through his thought process again as an idea struck him.

He knew at that moment he had found it. He knew he had found a way.

And yet he knew he was too late.

The way he found, the time he needed to create this, the time the antidote needed to rest, needed to be heated and then put cold- it was a matter of seconds that it took until Izaya had calculated just how many days and waiting hours he would have to wait until what he had in mind was actually done...

He couldn´t bring himself to admit that he was just too late- that he just couldn´t do it-

Not paying attention to time or how long he should let the biochemical substances rest or how he should somehow put them cold in a world with no electricity he just did what he could- he skipped some steps, he shortened the time. Somewhere deep down he was feeling nauseous, he was feeling lightheaded, because he knew he wasn´t doing this in the right order... the antidote wouldn´t work. And yet he couldn´t bring himself to stop and give up.

There was this part in his brain, this one part that just cancelled out all logic and knowledge he had gathered, that kept telling him, maybe it will still work.

Maybe there will be a miracle and it will still work.

He couldn´t see it- he didn´t want to.

Hours had passed, almost 16 in total. It was evening... the sun was setting again when Izaya filled what he created into a syringe.

"Iza-nii?" the girl flinched softly, never having liked injections ever since she was a little girl.

"This will help you." Izaya mumbled softly, putting the now empty syringe aside. A soft smile was on his face as he sat down on the bed.

He had done everything he could... now he could only hope. Hope that it worked, and yet...

He failed. He knew it already, deep down, he knew it.

He failed.

And yet- he just couldn´t accept it.

It had to work-

It had to-

Feeling his brows furrow into a sad frown he leaned forward to hug his sister tightly. Wrapping her arms around him she hugged him back, she felt so hot and yet she was trembling like a leaf.

"Iza-nii, I'm scared..." she spoke with trembling lips. It tore Izaya's heart apart...

"You don´t need to be you will be fine. I found a solution, the antidote is working. You will get better now." What a lie. What a blunt lie.

There were only a few rare moments in which Izaya was amazed by how own acting- and one of these was right now.

He knew this was it, this was the last time he was getting to talk to his sister- it was the last time he would hear her voice, the last time he would hear anyone call him Iza-nii.

His throat felt constricted to the point he felt like he couldn´t breathe, because he knew he had been too late... he had used the wrong things, he hadn't waited the necessary amount of time, he hadn´t-

"Iza-nii, I´m sorry for always saying you are a useless brother. I didn´t mean it." She sounded oddly calm, peaceful. "Thank you for being such a great brother." He could almost feel her smile against his neck.

...

It was odd, Izaya felt this heavy sadness in his chest, this feeling of emptiness, this cold painful feeling, his throat felt constricted and yet he couldn´t cry.

He couldn´t. Somehow he just felt detached from his body. As if this weren´t real.

"What are you saying? I´m pretty useless aren´t I?" Trailing his hand up he softly stroked the girls hair in an attempt to comfort her. In attempt to stop the tremors.

He didn´t want her to be afraid.

If anything he didn´t want her to be scared. He wanted to be there for her. He wanted to keep her safe.. and happy... he really wanted to-

She was everything he had left-

Tightening his hug in the slightest he nuzzled into his sisters shoulder- she was shivering.

"Are you still cold? Do you want me to get another blanket?" His voice almost broke halfway through the sentence, the sound almost hurting his ears.

But Mairu didn´t answer.

"Mairu?"

The tremors stopped.

"Hey, Mairu?" Softly unwrapping his arms the raven leant back, disbelieve written across his face- Her eyes had closed.

NO- not yet- she just- she was still-

And then suddenly she moved.

Opened her eyes again.

...

Glazed eyes.

And all of a sudden it was as if someone had robbed all emotions of Izaya´s heart.

**-Izaya´s point of view. Present-**

It had been... just so quiet. So, so quiet.

His tongue felt heavy with every word he spoke- he didn´t even know why he was telling this the blond in the first place- he was almost struggling to get the words out and yet...

Somehow he suddenly found himself trapped in that moment.

Maybe he had been ever since then anyway.

He just felt so empty and cold.

"I promised her, you now," he mumbled dryly. He didn´t expect Shizuo to understand nor did he want to hear his opinion on what he did.

He knew he should have just stayed somewhere safe instead fo wandering around with her at night-

He knew he should have just spent the time he had to be with his sister instead of reading these useless books.

Looking back at it he had wasted the precious time she had left.

He wasted it.

"It was over just like that. Didn´t even take long just a day." It was almost funny to think about... it happened so fast, just a single day and everything was over.

"Now you know." After that he didn´t really know what he was even doing. He remembered shoving the things he used into his bag pack without much of a care actually and then he headed out.

Away. Just away from there. Somewhere in the back of his mind there was this voice calling out to him that he knew a solution to everything here. That he could save everyone that hadn´t get turned into one of these creatures yet.

But somehow that thought was only far back in his mind.

He wandered around until he came to an empty hall. He re-watched the videos from before this shit escalated. From before this happened to Mairu. He pretended it never happened.

He tried to forget.

Just ignore it.

When Shizu-chan came along he thought he was having bad luck. That brute would just kill him, ne? But truth to be told with everything that happened he was glad for his presence, for him being there.

He was about the greatest distraction you could get out there.

"... are you... okay?" It was only when he heard the question that Izaya finally turned his head to look at the blond again. He hadn´t even realized he was staring at the ceiling all the time.

"What?"

"... well... you..." the blond faded out, feeling as though he shouldn´t spell it out loud and instead he just pointed at his cheek. The raven seemed to get the hint as he touched his own.

It was... somehow really hard to see the flea like this.

Realizing what the blond meant the raven quickly wiped at his face.

"Ahaha how embarrassing." While Izaya had told his story they had just started to flow by themselves, the tears. He didn´t think Izaya even noticed them. He just kept talking, telling him about his sister.

"I don´t think it is." Shizuo would have never thought it would be so hard to listen to someone´s story. He didn´t think it would hit him so hard to see the flea like this.

"You were a really good brother." Undoubtedly. "An asshole flea maybe, but a good brother."

Izaya snorted, wiping away the last remains of the clear liquid and glanced at him.

"The hell is that supposed to mean? As if you could judge what kind of brother I am."

"I am an older brother too you know? I can judge." Maybe not in the same way that Izaya's sisters could, but still- "You did everything you could… I doubt there are many who would do what you tried." The raven sighed, rolling on his side as he glanced at the blond.

"You mean the majority would just shoot her through the head?"

"The majority would have probably left her behind in the first place."

Ah... Izaya couldn´t really deny that being true...

He had seen the way humans acted when they were in danger- it wasn´t only once he saw some parent sacrificing their child in order to get away...

Times like this surely brought the dark side to the surface of everyone.

Was Shizu-chan trying to cheer him up?

He couldn´t help but smile at the thought.

"Thanks, I guess." Really... this was developing more and more into something he really found himself liking.

**To be continued~**

**Daaaawwww, now wasn´t this cute? Kawaii flea finally admitting how sad he was over his siblings after all. He did sort of report coldly about them so far. Yahh, ignoring won´t solve the issue Izzy. If you are wondering, now I´m done with everyone´s sad past part xD Some pretty cute and aw my GAWD stuff will be happening next time C: and even more OH MY GAWD will follow after that xDDDDDD**

**See chu on Monday the 2nd January again~! Cx**

**ON a side note:**

**-OOOOOOOOOOOOOO- IMPORTANT INFO -IOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-**

**\- I´m already warning you ahead of time, in January there will be NO UPDATES apart from sotd and bcd on Monday the 2nd xD It´s exam time and I have really a lot of important exams to study for this time C': So I will only continue updating regularly again starting 6th February C:**

**Plz forgive me xD I really need the time to study C': I will be trying to draw some Shizaya pictures meanwhile tho so look forward to February the 1st cuz I most definitely will be uploading at least one picture then xD**

**And for everyone who is wondering why ast hasn´t been updated: I´m kinda stuck there xD give me a bit of time I will definitely write more, just right now I´m stuck C':**

**And about bcd and the LAST chapter of ne, these two will be coming out tomorrow~! With that being said, see you guys xD**


	20. ஜ Can´t lose you ஜ

\--๑-๑ **ஜ** ๑-*0*-๑ **ஜ** ๑-๑--

**\---Shizuo´s point of view---**

Softly the light of the candle was flickering, casting multiple shadows on the silver ceiling. Reflecting and retracting the light- it had something calming to it.

Eyes traveling over to Izaya he scanned the raven´s body. Due to the candle being there he could see him well enough. The coat hanging off his frame, and the dirt and blood clinging to his clothes hair and most importantly, his waist-

So much had happened in the past days... to both of them. And yet, they survived.

He saw Kasuka die, Tom, Ruri, Seiji, that crazy woman and countless other people and yet... they were alive.

Izaya and him, they survived- thinking about it now it almost seemed like a miracle.

... so far.

"... how is your wound?" It was still uncovered, bare to the air around them. Izaya really didn´t look too good.

He seemed paler than usual and the dried blood in his face didn´t make the picture any better.

A soft sigh was to be heard as Izaya glanced towards the blond.

It hurt. Pretty bad so if he had to put it onto words. He felt as though there was a fire burning away on his waist, destroying the skin with each movement. Somewhere in the back of his head there was this dreadful feeling of the wound maybe infecting itself.

In more than just one way. Be it the zombie virus somehow getting him or an infection that would give him blood poisoning-

He was scared. Scared of how much longer he was even able to survive. With all his skills and knowledge, he was pretty much doomed in a world like this, but that wasn´t even what scared him the most.

"I´m fine," he lied, his sight trailing to their source of light. There wasn´t much left of the candle´s wax, so it would diminish soon.

...

It was unfair, wasn´t it?

Shizuo couldn´t help but think that way.

He was the strong monster between the two. He should be the one doing the fighting, getting injured and attacked- and yet Izaya was the one that had to suffer.

And why? All because he never thought quite as far as Izaya did.

Silence covered the two for a few minutes and Izaya wondered if the blond had fallen asleep.

"Ne, what did that woman mean when she said having a wound is equal to being doomed?"

Seemed he hadn´t. "You... aren´t gonna die or something right?" Shizuo asked. His lips felt way to dry and weary for his taste.

Somehow Izaya knew Shizu-chan wasn´t going to leave the topic just like that.

"... it´s not because of the wound itself Shizu-chan, it´s because of the environment." And it was probably exactly this that was going to kill them one of these days... He paused, wondering for just a second if he should bring this up- and yet, it was an unavoidable topic. Especially now. "You saw it before, when we crashed with the car- I wasn´t even able to run away nor was I able to help you or anything," he mumbled, remembering fully well how his heart leaped out of his chest when the car suddenly got thrown over.

It was as if something had knocked him back to reality when he rose his head only to see Shizu-chan laying on the ground, looking as though he was already dead.

Like a brick it had hit him into the face- the possibility that Shizu-chan could actually _die_. He didn´t know what he had thought until that point. He knew Shizu-chan was a normal human apart from his ridiculous strength. And yet-

Somehow he hadn´t thought of him as one. Shizu-chan was like a constant. Like some sort of supernatural being like Celty. He had not once actually considered the possibility that Shizu-chan could actually die. Or rather- what it actually meant if Shizu-chan died.

It was odd considering it was him who got hurt the most and not the blond, and yet he found himself wondering how long it would be until he really had to face a dead Shizu-chan.

A Shizu-chan that died because of him. "Running around wounded in a dangerous environment like this- the probability of us both surviving slimmed drastically," he continued, trying to ease the thought out of his mind with more words.

"I won´t let anyone kill you though," Shizu-chan threw in, a frown decorating his expression.

... honestly, Izaya wished Shizu-chan would stop this kind of behavior. This way if anything really were to happen to him he would only start blaming himself. And even though Izaya couldn´t care less what the blond was worrying over, he wanted to avoid putting this kind of strain on the blond.

"You said that before and yet we had that car crash and you were out of it for a few minutes." The blond blinked, repeating the line in his head.

... that... that´s right.

Izaya was actually right-

What if something similar to this happened again? What if next time he wouldn´t wake up in time? What if Izaya didn´t find an ally next time?

The thought robbed him of the ability to breathe just like it had done when he was searching for Izaya after the crash.

"I´m not blaming you or anything, don´t get me wrong," Izaya continued, "There are just so many unpredictable things happening around us, it would be naive to say we can survive just because it´s you and me." Putting it into words like that... the words tasted bitter on his tongue.

"Ah, but don´t go blaming yourself either if I happen to take my last breath." The blond´s eyes widened at these words.

His last-

"Don´t say that."

"Shizu-chan we have to be realistic. Looking at it now and how far we came... I would say we would probably make another week or two at this rate."

.... Izaya really wondered where his usual optimism went. But right now it seemed to him as though the world around them was just black and white.

Maybe he was tired, maybe he had just finally used up his last reserves, but somehow he couldn´t bring himself to see anything positive right now.

They were hiding beneath the swords of a Saika user, zombies that could tear them apart waiting for them and starting tomorrow morning they would be on their own again.

"What the hell, don´t label yourself with a fucking expiration date like that-" Izaya didn´t even need to look at the brute to know how deep the frown on his face had to be.

"I´m not, but surviving requires us both to give our best. And as you can see I´m honestly speaking only dragging you down like dead weigh. If it were just you alone you would probably survive longer than that." Honestly by now Izaya didn´t even know what he was saying anymore.

He was just rambling, talking for the sake of it, he wasn´t even really thinking what he said. And yet...

"You know I would never leave you behind, Izaya."

... he knew.

Or rather he feared. He didn´t even know what was nagging on him like this all of a sudden, and yet- 

"Honestly if I just left or something you would be way better off." The words had slipped of the raven´s tongue before he could think them over once more.

The shadows in their silver tent moved hastily and before the raven could even open his mouth again to speak he found himself being trapped like an animal in a cage.

Hands to both his sides Shizu-chan was hovering over the raven locking their eyes with a glance so serious it reminded him of the times they fought, despite the missing angry glint.

"Izaya, you can´t leave-" the words were firm, but not desperate, just dead serious. The palms left and right had tightened to tense fists and the frown on Shizu-chan´s face deepened.

... Izaya wondered what had gotten into him. He almost made it sound as if he would be willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of Shizu-chan.

"I swear if you wander of like that I will search for you day and night."

Finally unfreezing from his rather surprised state he eased a smile on his face. It was no where a real one, and yet he just didn´t know what kind of expression he was supposed to show.

"Ah, I was just speaking hypothetically though." But Shizuo wasn´t going to be satisfied with just that.

"Promise me," he said, the raven blinked, the smile fading just a bit.

What was this feeling? This wasn´t being afraid of being left alone anymore.

"Promise me you will stay no matter what." He was afraid of losing Izaya. Not just anyone, not just of being left alone, but just Orihara Izaya.

He knew there were probably more people apart from them that still survived. He knew he wouldn´t end up being all alone like he had feared- and yet there hadn´t been a time he had been that distraught over the thought of losing the flea.

The thought that Izaya might just walk away or disappear on him just because he deemed their chances of surviving higher that way- it made his stomach churn in the most unpleasant way.

...

Izaya didn´t really know how to react.

... Shizu-chan seemed so serious.

Only softly his own hands tightened next to his body.

Izaya didn´t want to leave him. He didn´t even know why he said that kind of thing. Just logically speaking it would be suicide if he left Shizu-chan right now. No matter how he looked at it, for now he had to rely on the blond to survive or he could just wait to get eaten somewhere.

There was no way he would leave- and yet what he said didn´t sound ridiculous to his ears either.

He sighed. Seriously- what was he even thinking?

"I wouldn´t just leave like that, after all I want to survive too, ne?" he tilted his head, setting up his trademark smirk.

Maybe it was because of the time they spent together, maybe it had always been that way, Shizuo didn´t really care enough to differentiate the feeling, but one thing was for sure.

Izaya was someone he cared about. On a level similar to Shinra, and Celty- Shizuo knew he would do anything now to protect Izaya if necessary.

"I want you to promise me, Izaya." Maybe it was stupid to think that way, but Shizuo had the feeling Izaya was feeling the same way. He felt that right now, after all that happened, Izaya wouldn´t act like the selfish asshole he pretended to be and really  leave just like that if he thought they were doomed by staying together. "Promise me you will stay with me no matter what happens."

Izaya blinked and the smile somehow slipped from his lips.

...

Shizu-chan was serious, wasn´t he...?

Those eyes accepted no excuse.

"If it makes you sleep at night, fine," he mumbled, tilting his head as he couldn´t stand looking at the blond any longer. "I promise."

Maybe it was stupid to feel that way, but somehow Shizuo wasn´t as relieved hearing these two words as he thought he would be. He felt as though he hadn´t yet gotten across what he wanted to say. But how else was he supposed to put it?

"... we are a team, okay?" he mumbled, causing the raven´s glance to travel back to him. "Even if you are injured, you aren´t dragging me down. Just think of it, how smart you are- how often you saved my ass until now." Honestly the raven had done more than he was giving himself credit for. Shizuo was pretty sure he would have ended up being bitten because of his reckless behavior on the first day they met if he hadn´t accompanied Izaya.

He had killed Kasuka and he hadn´t even been able to bear with the sole thought of that, running around like a zombie himself, trying to ignore everything around him.

If it hadn´t been for Izaya he might as well be just as dead as everyone else by now.

"You too though, not many would have actually still tried to save someone, let alone me, after being crushed by a zombie," Izaya noted, feeling as though that Shizu-chan was right.

Thinking about everything that happened so far- they would both have died along the way if it weren´t for the other.

"So no wandering off on me, okay?" Shizuo mumbled, the raven´s eyes softening just a bit. He was right after all.

"...okay." There was no point in leaving, neither for him nor for Shizu-chan.

They were fine the way they were. They managed to survive this long- and they knew how to deal with the fast zombies now.

This time Izaya felt as though Shizuo was the smart one.

The blond sighed, obviously relieved and satisfied with his answer as he let off him again, laying down on his side next to Izaya. They were both exhausted and tired.

Which was probably what caused Izaya's thoughts to escalate to what they did in the first place.

"We should sleep now, who knows what will be waiting for us tomorrow," Izaya mumbled, flinching just slightly as he rolled onto his side so he could face the blond next to him.

Shizuo was using his own arm as a cushion and nodded softly, still glancing in Izaya´s direction.

"Yeah you are right..." They had to rest. Both of them.

"Good night Shizu-chan," the raven mumbled, letting his eyes slip shut as he cradled his arms around his waist.

Glancing at the raven´s injuries the blond felt an urge to hit something. If possible he would want to hit himself. Izaya was with him, the whole time. And yet he ended up like this. He knew that it wasn´t his fault. He wasn´t blaming himself. What Izaya said was true.

But that didn´t change the fact that he hadn´t been able to protect the flea one bit.

"Izaya." The candle in the room was almost diminished, flickering as it went out. He heard a slight hum in the dark, indicating the raven was listening.

"Seriously. Don´t run away, okay?"

A soft sigh reached his ears.

"I won´t." Closing his own eyes now the blond sighed a bit relieved. 

He would make sure from now on that no one managed to do anything to the flea.  He would be careful, think twice about what he did and never leave his side until this whole mess was over.

**\---Izaya´s point of view. The next day.---**

Shivering coldness greeted the raven first thing in the morning when he came to it again. Rubbing at his eyes he tried to get the sleepiness out of his system.

Honestly speaking he had thought getting a good night's sleep would help him getting better- but right now he just felt a hundred times worse than the day before...

It was almost as if the short break had shown him just how fatigued he really was. His entire body hurt, from his very bones to the actual wounds.

All in front the one the zombie gave him.

He hadn´t told Shizu-chan a single thing about how exactly he was feeling ever since the emergency operation but honestly speaking... it was almost killing him to walk around with it.

Pulling up his shirt just the slightest bit his brows knit into a deep frown. He quickly glanced over to the blond, who was still sleeping peacefully.

He didn´t want the blond to know this sort of thing.

Gritting his teeth he revealed the wound once more.

Not only was the shirt sticking to the wound in some places, the cold air hitting the skin was also far from comforting.

Blue and purple spots were coloring his chest all around the wound as he took a close look at it.

Letting his head tilt back he just closed his eyes for a second, relieved.

It hadn´t inflamed from what he could see. This was already pretty damn near a miracle in itself...

... made him think all the more that they could be dead by now.

Glancing up he faced the morning sky of Ikebukuro. He had noticed upon wakening already that the swords had withdrawn so they were now more like a fence, than a tent.

Well considering those creatures from last night couldn´t run around in the daylight it was almost logical that Kujiragi would lower her defenses.

...

... last night surely had been one hell of a night.

...

At least the blond seemed like he finally had some peace of mind. Turning his head towards the sleeping brute he wondered what he was dreaming about, having his brows furrowed even while he slept.

...

Seriously.

Why did he give that sort of promise? Not that he was the type to keep promises, but with Shizu-chan he felt sort of inclined to stick to them.

“Slept well?” Surprised the raven blinked, not having expected the voice as the swords lowered on one side of the tent, making way for Kujiragi to enter their half of the circle.

“Hm, you aren´t gonna leave without us knowing?” Izaya asked instead, ignoring the useless question, it was only meant as small talk anyway.

“That would defeat the purpose of even staying the night," Kujiragi shrugged, now lowering the swords to a degree where Izaya could actually see past them. There were none of the creatures at all. Not even the normal ones. 

“The fast zombies are gone for sure?” he asked, just making sure one last time as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Every bone in his body protested against the movement and screamed at him to just lay down some more, but Izaya knew he couldn't do that anyway.

“The majority. Now the slow ones are coming out again. It´s almost as if they were switching shifts," Kujiragi informed, her stare on the raven being just a bit too hard for Izaya´s taste. Made him feel as if she were looking through his masks. Then again she had quite some knowledge in medicine Izaya suspected.

She would have to know best what he was feeling like.

Glancing at their surroundings Izaya noticed that they were in the middle of a road. Cars were standing around everywhere, parked or crashed in house walls. He could spot some shops down the street and got up from the ground, his arms automatically wrapping around himself.

Today was January the 30th wasn´t it?

“… ne, Kasane-chan, could you do me a favor and stay ten more minutes?” the raven purred, setting up his usual smirk.

“You are heading out?” the woman asked, raising one brow, reminding Izaya too much of a certain secretary of his.

“There are some things I gotta get and I don´t want to wake him yet. He had a pretty rough time recently.” Izaya informed, pointing at the sleeping blond on the ground. The woman seemed to be thinking, then glanced at Izaya, scanning him from head to toe.

"You think that´s a good idea, in your condition?"

Heh, he should have expected that sort of comment.

"Why, are you planning to stop me?" he asked, the smile still settled on his lips, but it had something almost sinister to it. She better not try to pull anything on him or restrict him in anyway. Izaya had never been someone to trust even a single person.

And even if the woman stayed throughout the night, he wasn´t going to forget what the cursed blade Saika could do with people´s minds.

A few seconds passed, feeling as though they lasted a century until the woman shifted her gaze away.

"No. You have ten minutes." Setting up his usual grin the raven passed the woman, as she let some of the swords disappear completely to make way for him.

"I can work with that," he chirped, and with that he disappeared down the street.

**To be continued~**

**DUN DUN DUNNN where did Izzzy go~? C: xD Oh well xD now who else thought of a different reason why our lovely Shizzy doesn´t want Izzy to leave~? C: -whispers- chu is right~! xD I didn´t get to the most sweet part ever yet, but hey you can look forward to a scene, that´s probably the sweetest I have written so far in all my fics xD At least I consider it that way C: I will kill you with fluff x'DD**

**Anyway, as you can see, I HAVE RETURNED *0*00*0* Almost- in time xD I guess it is kinda midnight but oh well, do a few hours matter? xDDDD**

**Study month is over and from now on I can update weekly again in peace C':**

**I know I actually promised Ast, twtd and SD for today, buuuut somehow sotd just came flying to me xD I just love this story too much right now I swear xD**

**So today I´m updating Twtd, sotd and Ne,**

**And next week  on Monday, Bcd, ast and SD will be updated, AND THE GLORIOUS "Shingeki no Shizuo" will start *0*0*0* A new story, since my other story, "No escape" ended now C':**

**Ah And before I forget- I´m lurking around in tumblr since a few days xDDD My favorite authors got me into it actually and I figured why not create an account xD I´m gonna post my pictures there and post random spoilers trololololo xDDD but also updates on how far I´m actually with my chapters xDDDD**

If anyone wants to drop by, just search for **ShirohimesShizayastories xD**

Well then, bye bye~! See you my lovely cookies~! C: <3

**PS.: READ "A matter of life and death" by the Snipster, on taptastic!!!!! *0*0*0***

**THIS is the BEST yaoi comic I ever came across!! AND she updates regularly!! Usually two pages a week, sometimes even 3!!**

**AND THE ART IS GORGEOUS**

**THE PLOT IS GORGEOUS**

**I LOVE IT**

**xDDDD**

**Go my dear readers, GO AND SPREAD YOUR LOVE!! xD**

**Long author´s note is long, lmao, I´m sorry xDDDD**

 

 

 

 


	21. ஜ Just don´t die ஜ

-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

**-Shizuo´s point of view-**

His lips felt dry, and his head was throbbing.

When had the last time been he had gotten anything to drink?

To eat?

He knew a few gulps of water had found their way down his throat in the shower and later on at the gas station when he gathered all these useless things that were now in the crashed van.

But apart from that? He had felt too sick to even think about eating. His stomach was clenching painfully just at the thought of food.

It was as though he only noticed now how much he was starving and yet he still felt nauseous just thinking about these zombies surrounding their sword tent.

Pushing himself up from the hard ground he cringed, feeling his muscles and back and basically every single spot of his body ache. It couldn´t be helped after all he did get thrown out of that van yesterday.

It had been barely a few seconds since he woke up and yet he was already feeling shitty enough as it was. Opening his eyes slowly he scanned his surroundings.

The swords had been withdrawn just a bit, seeming more like a fence now than a tent, making him able to look at the sky above him.

The sun shone bright, only few clouds decorating the sky, warming his exhausted frame and reflecting from the cool silver that surrounded him. The swords that had been parting the tent into two halves for the girl, whose name he forgot, him and Izaya had also disappeared.

He could spot the woman sitting on the ground, a long, different, sword resting on her lap as she had her eyes closed, obviously enjoying the sun´s rays as well.

Twisting his head to his right he could spot the all too familiar coat of the flea next to him, sprawled on the ground- but with no flea in it.

_Izaya?_

He twisted his head into the other direction- with the same outcome-

Almost immediately the sleepiness and feeling of exhaustion wiped off the blond´s face as his senses sharpened.

"Where-" he looked towards the woman who was now opening one eye to glance at him, one eyebrow risen in confusion as he had spoken faster than his brain was able to keep up with.

"Excuse me?" She said, the blond already jumping to his feet as he tried to glance over the fence of swords.

"Where is Izaya?" The make shift tent of swords was too high to look beyond them. Desinterested the woman let her eye slip shut again, going back to her sunbathing without a care.

"Orihara-san should be back in a minute."

Back in a-

"What?!" Dread filled his senses and he felt as though someone had punched him in the stomach as he remembered yesterday´s last conversation- about how Izaya had said Shizuo would be better off if he just-

"He went out there?!" The woman scorned at him with a frown on her face.

"Could you please lower your voice-"

"Why did you let him?! What if one of the zombies kills him?!" Fuck what if he was already- "Where did he go?!"

The woman just sighed annoyed, getting to her feet as her precious little break was obviously over now.

"I don´t think I´m in any place to tell him what to do, Heiwajima-san." She couldn´t be serious-

"Where?!"

Izaya was injured for fucks sake! He was exhausted, he had looked as though he couldn´t even walk anymore the day before and now she said she wasn´t in any place to stop him?!

"I don't posses that piece of information." She didn´t-

"Get those swords down!" he barked, the woman not even flinching in the slightest. "Excuse me?"

"Are you fucking deaf?! Get the swords down! I´m going to-"

"Shizu-chaaan~!" The blond´s words got caught in his throat as he caught the all too familiar nickname.

Sighing somewhat relieved to regain the former peace the woman glanced towards the sword fence, only for her eyes to take on a vermillion color for but a second as a few of the swords lowered themselves into the ground.

The opening they created was just big enough for a certain raven haired flea to slip through before going up again.

"Izaya-" the feeling of relief that washed over Shizuo at the sight of the raven was overwhelming- for a second he really thought the flea had just left-

"Going on a rampage right in the morning, say weren´t you sleeping peacefully before?" Izaya sighed, already having heard the blond yell from afar- but the question only seemed to aggravate the blond even more.

"What the hell were you thinking?!"

What he was thinking, huh?

Well for one thing, he really didn´t _think_ Shizu-chan would wake up before he returned- it were just a few minutes.

"Calm down, I just needed some stuff to fix me up," he informed the blond, only to receive a glance that seemed to spell it out for Izaya just how stupid Shizu-chan thought he was. What was he supposed to say? You looked like some more sleep would be good for you? He didn´t even need to try saying that because he could imagine Shizu-chan´s reaction.

Moreover he could really pass on Shizu-chan seeing him _that_ pathetic. The blond already seemed to be convinced that Izaya was going to die sometime these days if he didn´t watch him.

"You could have woken me up!" Izaya sighed, a bit annoyed.

Izaya knew himself that he had to be cautious, and god damn he was, he just went down the street to a supermarket. He could even see it form here, he just went in, got some band aids and patched himself up- and he wanted to do so before Shizu-chan woke up again, but no- of course the blond had to notice.

To be honest it was annoying. Just because he hurt a little bit and was exhausted didn´t mean he was completely unable to take care of himself.

Frowning the raven rubbed his temples.

"Shizu-chan-"

"I´m sorry to cut you off, but I will be leaving now." It was the woman who had interrupted the two, making Shizu-chan bite his tongue on whatever he was going to say.

"Already?" he asked instead, seemingly surprised about her statement.

"She only offered her Saika for the night in the first place, Shizu-chan," Izaya reminded the blond, while pulling off the backpack he had grabbed at the store. He had stuffed some things in, all on top, water and food as they were both seriously malnourished.

"This is correct. Well then," the woman said, her eyes flaring up as the swords disappeared just as quick as they had shown up the night before. Despite standing in the middle of the road in what seemed to have been a lively place, there were no zombies around.

At least none of the normal kind, Izaya had noticed so when he went to the store.

It made him remember the day in the hospital.

How there had been zombies inside that storeroom and how it had been ripped open from within. To him it only lead to two possible conclusions.

One, all of these creatures somehow turned into the nightly monsters after a certain amount of time passed from when they had first been infected-

Or two. The nightly monsters actually killed the daytime creatures and since they had seen so many the last night, they probably had already killed all the infected residents here.

"I will be taking my leave now," the woman informed, not even waiting for a response as she just bowed at the two and turned around, walking away.

"Thanks, really," Izaya thanked the leaving woman, glancing at the blond who had been oddly quiet since just now. He was just standing there, looking at their surroundings as though he had forgotten about the fight he broke loose.

Well not that Izaya would complain.

The raven glanced around, half expecting to see one of the nightly monsters strolling around or anything of that sort. But no, there was actually nothing.

"There are no zombies," the blond suddenly mumbled, a frown decorating his face just when Izaya was about to ask the blond what he was staring at.

...

"That´s what I noticed too when I walked down to the store," he said, already knowing that Shizu-chan had come to the same two conclusions as he had without even needing to ask. He might have said a lot of times that Shizu-chan was stupid, or behaved stupid, but it was one thing saying it and a completely different matter to actually think it.

Frowning Shizuo took in the landscape around them.

The empty street, the broken cars, litter everywhere and the store windows were almost all smashed in. It seemed as though they were the only ones in the entire city, but it was a disturbing silence that surrounded them.

Thinking of what that woman had said, the zombies from last night were just hiding in the shadows, inside the buildings, under bridges, he didn't even want to know.

Just the thought of these things being this close, even without being a threat was making Shizuo´s hair stand on ends.

"Seriously why didn´t you wait for me?" Thinking about how the raven could have walked around here, maybe have encountered one of these things, it just made his stomach churn. "Even if there are no zombies, I-"

"was exhausted," the raven suddenly threw in, interrupting the blond midsentence. The blond looked at the raven as though he wanted to protest, but Izaya wouldn´t let him. "Am I wrong?" he asked instead, knowing the blond wasn´t the type to lie, making him hesitate on whatever he had wanted to say.

Honestly ever since the incident with the monster in the hospital had occurred Shizu-chan just hadn´t been his real self anymore.

Not that Izaya minded the way he obviously tried to protect him, but this overbearing manner of his was just too much.

"Shizu-chan I appreciate you watching out for me, really, but did it ever occur to you that I´m doing just the same for you?" it was odd to put it that way since they had tried to kill each other seriously for the past 8 years, and yet, Izaya knew just how much had actually changed in the past few days.

"But you are injured," the blond argued, "I wasn´t so-"

"You flew out of that van yesterday at a speed I don´t even want to imagine and crashed against a wall, passing out." Just spelling it out loud like this made the raven realize in what kind of shape both of them were.

"What´s more, you didn´t sleep a wink these past, what, two days?" It had been bothering him on the car ride and it had bothered him again when he woke up. No matter what the blond was saying, he knew better than to just believe a simple, _"I´m fine."_

The blond didn´t seem to take his statement seriously at all, however.

"You nearly died..." Shizu-chan said instead, obviously still not getting what Izaya was trying to point out.

"It´s a miracle _you_ aren´t dead after what happened yesterday, Shizu-chan." He knew just how strong Shizu-chan was. He also knew just how much he could take- but yesterday just had unsettled him in a manner he wished he had never experienced. "I really thought that´s it you know."

That feeling when he saw the blood- he wasn´t going to forget what it had been like for a long time. "When I saw you laying there. You didn´t move. And there was a lot of blood on your face."

What was he supposed to do after realizing that Shizu-chan could actually really die? Was he supposed to keep treating Shizu-chan like a monster? Like some kind of entity that no one could defeat, not even the creatures or the virus, when that wasn´t the case?

"I just don´t want to see that again." Noticing the blond had stopped complaining he glanced at him, meeting his eyes. An expression he couldn´t quite pinpoint had made its way on his face.

"Okay," the blond mumbled, sighing softly as he ruffled through his hair, "I got it." It made the flea next to him blink a bit confused.

"Really? Because I don´t really get what I'm trying to say myself."

…

No, he was quite sure Izaya knew what he was trying to say. The flea had never been someone to say things without any sort of meaning.

"No, I get it," he repeated. He couldn´t really explain what it was but he knew what Izaya wanted, and he understood why. Not wanting to see him dead, huh? It was the same for Shizuo, just thinking about the incident in the hospital made him feel what he suspected Izaya had felt when he saw him on the ground.

"Still, don´t head off on me while I don´t know it, okay?" The raven sighed, taking his coat from the ground as he slipped it on. Well, he guessed it wasn´t the smartest move, even if it wasn´t dangerous.

"Okay." He had no intention of leaving to anywhere in the first place. Pulling the backpack back on he took a few tentative steps forward. The wound on his chest stung, but it was bearable. Wrapped up in the new band aids and with some ointment on top to heal it faster it definitely felt better.

"Now let´s go." Confusion took over the blond´s expression as he watched Izaya starting to walk down the street.

"Go?" Honestly speaking he hadn´t get wasted a thought on what they were going to do.

"We need to find somewhere safe, don´t you think?" Izaya explained, knowing that at least for once he was suggesting something that the blond would like. "A place where I can try create that antidote in peace." And where the nightly monsters couldn´t get them, Izaya added as a mental note.

Relieved that Izaya didn´t suggest something unsettling like going to another hospital the blond nodded eagerly. A safe place, that was certainly the best idea he had so far.

"And where would you find that kind of place?" No matter how much they had gotten around, no where seemed quite as save as the place the flea seemed to search for.

The shops around them were all destroyed, same for the houses and apartments they had seen. Honestly speaking Shizuo didn't want to enter an of these either. Just the thought of encountering a dark room, where one or more of these things could be hiding was sending shivers down his spine. That and a certain amount of rage, directed at these assholes.

Just thinking about how they were at fault that Izaya was in this state made his blood boil in a manner he hadn´t felt for a while.

"Maybe some sort of cellar, or a military institution, let´s just look around what we can find," Izaya shrugged, suddenly setting the backpack he had been carrying down on the ground again. "But first-" He reached inside the leathery object, pulling out a bottle of water. "Take a swing. I haven´t seen you drink anything recently. Well I don´t know about your inhuman body, but I do suspect you need water."

It was worrying him how much they were not taking care of themselves. Until now Izaya hadn´t really paid attention to it. The clenching feeling in his stomach had become something he was used to feel during the past days. And ever since Mairu died he hadn´t even remotely thought about such trivial matters.

"You didn´t do anything to it right?" Shizu-chan asked with a hint of a smile on his face as he took the bottle. Izaya knew the question itself was just a joke, but the nostalgia of their seemingly lost pure hatred kind of cheered him up.

"Please, Shizu-chan, it´s just water," he grinned, and even though he had always loved angering the brute and making him destroy the city, he couldn´t help but think that this kind of interaction with him wasn´t too bad either.

Less destructive for one thing.

It made him wonder how things would have developed if they hadn´t been fighting all these years. Storing the bottle back into his backpack as the blond handed it back, the raven let his eyes trail around the scenery.

There were still no zombies in sight. He wasn´t going to act rash or incautious, however, after all they didn´t know when these things might return. Just because they didn´t see any didn´t mean they weren´t hiding somewhere.

Shouldering the not too heavy bag, filled with not only food but also certain substances he looked into what he suspected to be the direction in which the destroyed van was in.

"Once we found a good place we should eat something as well," he announced walking down the street. Something akin to protests reached his ears as the blond followed right up.

"I´m not hungry."

"Believe me, me neither Shizu-chan." He could imagine a ton of things he would love to do rather than forcing something down his throat. Maybe it was the constant stench of death in the air, or the bile taste in his mouth, maybe even the gurgling sounds these creatures made that seemed to be caught in his ears, but he really didn´t feel like eating at all. Of course that kind of childish behavior couldn't do. "Just like water food is a necessity too. And seeing how you puked your guts out every now and then your body will be craving for something too."

The blond sighed, seemingly getting what the raven had said.

"Alright, I got it."

"Also, we should get all that stuff from the van. We didn't collect it for nothing, ne?" Despite having had a fever at the time, the raven clearly remembered what useful things the blond had gathered in there.

"So that´s where we are heading," Shizuo hummed, speeding his steps up just so much he was able to walk right beside the flea.

"Exactly."

And it didn't take long for them to reach the spot either.

They had barely walked a minute when the van came into sight.

Well considering that Shizuo hadn´t exactly run very far before he found Izaya it was to be expected.

The scenery looked worse than what Shizuo had expected, or remembered.

The van was turned over, the metal frame bent in a way that didn´t suggest any person had left that van alive.

It made Shizuo think about how they might have ended up dead if the glass hadn´t already been broken. He couldn´t remember the accident all too clearly anymore, but the moment the van left the road he remembered being thrown out of it before it turned around its own axe five times. Same accounted to Izaya, the sheer power of the vehicle suddenly twisting to the left had sent them both flying.

But while he hit the wall of what seemed to be a construction place, Izaya seemed to have landed in a pile of sand.

Moving over to the destroyed van he tore the backdoors open. They gave off an unsettling loud screech as he did, and he turned around just in case, to check if maybe there were still some zombies waiting somewhere that would be attracted by the noise.

But there were none. Not even a single one.

Cans, water bottles and all the things they had gathered at the gas station rolled out of the van right on the ground. Some of them were destroyed, some just had a dent or two.

The flea shuffled to the front, pulling out the blanket that seemed to be the only undamaged survivor of the accident and handed it the blond.

"Have fun tying it up again father Christmas," he stated with a grin, making the blond raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"What?"

"The way you held the bundle last time," Izaya explained, taking on a pose that resembled how Shizu-chan had carried the supplies to the van. ",over your back, it really reminded me of Santa Claus." The blond snorted in disbelieve.

Seriously- "Only you could think of something like that." The raven just shrugged, spreading the blanket on the ground to create space for Shizuo to lay the goods upon.

"Well, be glad you have me then, would be boring without me." The blond shook his head, yet couldn´t help but agree with Izaya in his mind as he grasped a few cans that seemed to have been let undamaged, and clean, and threw them on the blanket.

It was an odd thought, but it really just struck him at the moment that if he were to be stuck with anyone that Izaya certainly would be the only one that still managed to make jokes and act as carefree as he did at the moment.

After all that happened, to both of them, after all the things they saw, he really wondered how Izaya could stay this positive. With Tom, Kasuka and that girl he could still remember the tension.

They were scared, they were sad, they tried to find some of their friends or at least some survivors but everything with such a tranquility and tension- the only one that remained his usual self was Kasuka…

Thinking about his brother the blond paused for a second, twisting one of the damaged cans in his hand before throwing it away.

His brother had looked out for him. He hadn´t relied on him to be protected. It was as though he was trying to take care of Shizuo instead of the other way round.

Even when he got infected and he saw him show fear for the first time, he just told Shizuo to keep going.

He wondered if that was why he walked away after he died.

He just walked down the streets. To be honest he didn´t even care if any of the zombies saw him. Maybe he would have gotten killed before too long, but that was when he ran into Izaya.

He almost ended up killing them both with his screaming and yet Izaya helped him out without hesitation.

"So this is what caused us to crash," snapping out of his thoughts the blond twisted his head to look at the flea that was now looking at that red sign they had seen to late the day before. It was a warning sign, its purpose to tell people that the street was under construction. The pavement had been ripped up and it seemed they had been fixing it before the virus spread.

"Yeah, I tried to warn you but it was too late," the blond said, continuing to pack everything they could need. The raven hummed, shoving his hands into his coat´s pockets as he looked around.

His sight got stuck on a wall a wall with a blood blotch on it. There was no doubt it was Shizu-chan´s blood that was sticking to the surface. All dried up and brown by now.

"And you are really alright?" he mumbled, half to himself, half to the blond in question.

Taking the edges of the blanket the man threw the bundle over his shoulder. He had finished packing.

"Come on flea, you know how sturdy I am." The raven chuckled, the image reminding him too much of Christmas after all.

"True." It was when he glanced past the blond that he spotted a familiar snake and bowl. "There is a pharmacy," he voiced, walking over, and past the blond as he stepped over some broken walls.

The building looked awfully damaged, dirt was clinging to every spot and the glass windows had been smashed in like every other of this city. Electricity had stopped working ages ago, so the inside of the room was half lit by the sun´s intense rays, and half in the dark shadow. A door was at the back of the pharmacy, probably leading to the store´s storage.

Stepping over the shards he hear some swearing as a can had dropped out of the blond´s bundle and he couldn´t help but chuckle at the sight of the swearing brute.

"Just leave it out there Shizu-chan, I want to take some more medicine and band aids with us." Seeing as half the shelves had fallen over and spilled the contents on the ground he crouched with a sigh to inspect the contents of the little white packages. "Wished we wouldn´t need it, but who knows what´s gonna happen."

The blond nodded, taking a stock of what looked like all kinds of different pills. He had no idea what they were for, but considering pills had a fairly long expiration date it couldn´t be bad to take them with them.

The raven lurked around right next to him, on the ground, reading and sorting through the packages that had fallen to the ground. The sun was illuminating the store, shining upon some packages that ended up being thrown onto a pile that Shizuo suspected to be the expired pile of medicine.

It was when he wanted to reach for a bottle of cough syrup that didn´t get heated up by the light and check its date that a soft click caught his attention.

Putting the package down again he glanced around. Izaya was still crouching on the ground, reading- so not doing anything to produce any noise.

Again- he heard the click.

"Did you hear that?" He asked, making the raven tilt his head back to look at him.

"Hear what?"

…

No sound. Now it was quiet again all of a sudden.

Shizuo didn´t like it one bit. He had heard something and his guts were screaming at him to get out of here.

"I don´t hear anythi-" The flea yelped when he was suddenly being grabbed by the hem of his shirt and pulled away from the shelf.

"Shizu-chan-"

"I think there is something behind that door."

**To be continued~ C:**

**xD Ahahah I bet you hate me for ending it there lmao xD but I had reason to C':**

**mainly because next chapter is going to well- ahh you will see C':**

**Now I promised a sweet chapter but somehow I still didn´t get to the part of the sweetest chapter yet xDDD**

**Gah I wasted too much time on this x'D Give me one more chapter! xD one more and THEN the fluffy greatness and funny time will begin C':**

**Well then, see you in 14 days~! xD**

**PS.: I apologize if there are more errors but seeing as I SUDDENLY got internet I didn´t wanna risk waiting with posting and not being able to post at all xDDDD**

 


	22. ஜ Desperation ஜ

 

 

 

-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

**-Shizuo´s point of view-**

The raven froze, his head snapping towards the shadows in the room. A sound?

Sharpening his ears he tried to make out the noise Shizu-chan had been talking about.

But again they had returned to silence.

His eyes scanning their surroundings quickly, Izaya took a step back out of the shadows.

The sun's rays were illuminating the pharmacy, alright, but only half of it.

As if the blond had read his thoughts he followed him just until they were at the broken windows.

The grip on his coat loosened and from the corner of his eyes he saw the blond grasp the edge of a shelf.

"Shizu-chan-"

"Do you think it´s one of the bastards?" Shizuo growled, torn between feeling anxious and angry at the same time. They could have killed Izaya the day before- they had only crashed because of the fucking creatures-!

Hatred was winning over the healthy dose of fear and he almost hoped one of the assholes would wait for them here, just so he could kill it.

The raven didn´t give any sort of answer as he was still surveying their surroundings. The thought of meeting even one of the disgusting creatures again made his stomach lurch. Too many things had happened since they had first encountered them.

Be it the incident in the hospital or the way these creatures chased them the day before- just the thought of meeting them again drew a feeling to the surface that he didn´t like one bit.

But there was nothing. No movement, no noise, nothing.

"Shizu-chan I think you might have just heard a rat or bird," he mumbled feeling more relieved than he would have liked to admit.

Was it odd that he didn´t want to admit to himself that he was scared of these things?

"You don´t know that for sure," the blond added, obviously doubting what Izaya said.

Izaya knew he had a point, but thinking about it rationally all the nightly creatures they had seen had just been attacking them at once.

The one in the hospital charged him as soon as he saw him in the hall. The ones in the car dashed after them without a second thought.

Judging their level of intelligence Izaya figured they weren´t smart enough to actually hide and wait for them to come closer.

They were more like rabid dogs, attacking whatever came into sight.

That didn't mean he would make the mistake of approaching the shadows however.

Shuffling to the right, just before the shadows he reached for the bag he had dropped there, the medics pile being next to it.

"Let´s just take these and leave," he mumbled, not intending to leave valuable medicine behind.

"Izaya wouldn´t it be better to-" but he didn´t get to listen to the end of Shizu-chan´s sentence as he faded out.

Feeling as though his heart just stopped beating the raven´s eyes followed the blond´s hardened gaze.

From behind a shelf, slowly but surely something came crawling up front- dead rotten eyes were staring at him from the other end of the pharmacy-

Gnawing, almost humane sound dripped from the rotten corpse´s clattering teeth.

"Izaya-"

Choking on his breath the raven took a step backwards his hand flying into his coat´s pocket to draw out a knife - blood pumped through his body at a speed that couldn´t be healthy as an odd ringing sound filled his ears.

Instantly having had the shelf at hand the blond was ready next to Izaya, just waiting for that creature to come closer to beat it with the wooden shelf. A couple curses were escaping his lips every now and then while the flea just remained quiet.

But the creature didn´t come closer.

Screaming, reaching for them it was squirming near the wall´s shadow. The jaw torn apart to a degree it almost seemed like it would fall off any second. Biting gnawing, as if it was trying to eat them from afar it stared at them with its dead eyes.

Once, twice the creature took a step forward only to screech and hiss before backing off into the shadows again.

Only now Shizuo actually got a chance to properly look at the creature in front of them.

So far they always had had to run, only caught glimpses of them, not to mention of the darkness always surrounding them, but right now he could make out everything about that creature.

The eyes were white, glassy and yet there was this small black pupil in them leaving no doubt that the creature could actually see. The skin had taken on an odd brownish rotten color- it was wrinkling up, clinging to the bones as the creature had lost a lot of weigh. It almost reminded Shizuo of a skeleton wearing skin.

The blond´s hair stood on ends- it took what felt like a whole minute until he realized that the creature wasn´t going to come any closer. It tried sure, tried once, twice, only to end up writhing like a worm at the contact with the sun´s rays.

"That girl was actually right about them hating the daylight," the blond found himself mumbling relieved as he dropped the shelf he had been ready to throw.

But Izaya didn´t say anything back-

He looked pale. Wasn't saying anything either.

His stare was just fixated on that zombie in front of them.

Izaya didn´t even know what was wrong with him. Just looking at the creature made him feel nauseous, made his head spin and his ears ring.

Again the creature stepped towards them, only to end up screaming and backing off yet again.

He needed to get out. It was the only thing that popped up in the raven´s mind as he felt as though he was going to suffocate in that monster´s presence.

Turning on his heels he just headed for the entrance. He couldn't stand the sight, the noise.

Stumbling after him quickly he noticed the blond followed him outside- but he didn´t really feel like saying or talking or telling him anything as he just let himself lean against the pharmacy´s wall.

Tilting his head back, eyes closed, he let the sun shine on his face.

"Izaya?"

No talking.

He didn´t want to.

He didn´t even know why he was reacting like this to that creature.

Why now?

Why would he be afraid of it now? Why did the sight of that thing make him feel so damn frustrated and nauseous all of a sudden?

Because he saw it up close? Actually was able to take a proper look at it? It certainly didn´t look human anymore.

Groans and screams of the creature, seeing its prey leave were reaching his ears and he felt as though he had just flinched at the sound.

"This thing doesn't even look human anymore- Where are we? In a horror movie?" the raven finally chuckled, but the smile he put on his face only made him seem that much more distressed.

The blond´s worried eyes narrowed just a fraction, feeling as though he understood Izaya´s reaction.

That thing was unsettling him more than Izaya was letting on.

Thinking about it, it was no surprise, the first thing had broken his ribs almost managed to kill him and yesterday´s creatures had chased them to the point they almost both ended up dead.

The blond wanted to ask if Izaya was okay, but yet another scream of the creature was just making him swallow the words.

It was then that Shizuo realized what was wrong with the flea.

He was afraid. Of this thing.

Wordlessly he turned around, stepping into the pharmacy again. Having noticed the movement the raven´s eyes snapped open instantly, his body tensing as he took a quick step to follow the blond.

"Shizu-chan?" almost alarmed the raven´s voice reached the blond´s ears as he took the cupboard once more.

This was all just because of these shitheads- Izaya was feeling like shit just because that asshole was there-

Shizuo was mad, yeah he really was, and yet he also felt so incredibly calm.

Without a word he rose the cupboard, approached the creature just enough to reach it and-

_***BAM BAM BAM*** _

Flinching at the sudden show of violence the raven felt a momentarily urge to close his eyes.

Screeching and screaming the creature protested against the cruel treatment, but the blond didn´t even stop once as he brought the shelf down on the creature till its head split open and it stopped moving.

He hated the creatures, and yet he wasn´t doing this for revenge. He was doing this just for Izaya.

Silence occupied the room.

The blond threw the cupboard away, only to destroy even more of the already damaged pharmacy.

Having looked away the raven now glanced at the dead creature. It was really dead. Not moving anymore. Blood was staining the ground and even though it made him feel nauseous when he saw parts of the creatures brain leave the skull he couldn´t help but feel relieved.

"It´s dead," the blond informed, stating a matter of fact as he shoved his hands into his pants pockets.

"I can see that." Was it stupid to feel relieved even though he knew there were dozens of others like it out there? Izaya knew that just because they killed one that didn´t mean they were safe and yet-

Exhaling deeply the raven turned around and reached for his bag.

"This-" he mumbled, pulling out a small glass bottle from it, approaching the blond.

The creature wasn´t moving anymore

It... was really dead, right?

It wasn´t pretending, right?

"I need some blood," it was a statement and yet it sounded more like a question. Blinking the blond glanced at the small glass object.

"For the antidote?" he asked, making Izaya nod at him, taking in the expression Izaya was wearing he felt as though they communicated per telepathy.

Wordlessly he took the bottle from the flea´s hands, as he crouched down to let some of the gross liquid pour into the pipette.

He knew Izaya didn´t want to get any closer to that thing, but he also knew he would never spell it out loud.

Dark and gross the liquid poured into the object. Shizuo didn´t need Izaya to spell out how he didn´t want to get any closer to the creature. It was obvious from the way he looked, behaved, the hidden question in his words- it was somewhat surprising but Izaya was someone he understood without even the need of words by now.

Capping the small bottle shut the blond handed the pipette back. Izaya had said they were going to find a safe place.

A safe place sounded pretty damn awesome to him right now. The raven pocketed the bottle in his bag and left the pharmacy, not once glancing back at the corpse.

Shouldering the blanket sack filled with food cans and other useful utensils the blond followed right away.

And the flea- the flea just kept walking.

He didn´t say where to or what he had in mind, he just walked on with the bag over his shoulder, and Shizuo followed.

He was worried about Izaya. And for once not because he thought he was going to be injured or killed by someone. So far Izaya had seemed so strong in every possible situation, even the day before- all of these monsters were after them and Izaya just kept his cool, kept thinking straight.

It was an ability Shizuo had always been envious of- so seeing him now distressed like that just seemed so wrong.

"You alright?" He was probably the last person Izaya wanted to hear him ask that, but he couldn't give less of a shit right now.

At first he thought the raven hadn´t heard him, or chose to ignore him as he often liked to do, but then he slowed down in his steps until he actually just stopped.

…

Alright, huh?

Was he?

Izaya couldn't deny this lingering feeling of dread nor the fear he had felt when he saw the creature. He couldn´t deny the nausea it brought him to think about the future and their probably soon to come death.

Somehow, even though Shizu-chan was right by his side, he felt alone. Desperate, like he lost the game.

Those creatures were simple, deadly, just out to kill them- he was no doctor, he was no scientist, what he had come up with, the antidote, it might as well be futile to make it in the first place.

Alright- no he definitely didn't feel alright, he hadn´t felt truly alright ever since they crashed with the van the day before, ever since he had realized how _easy_ it was for them both to die.

Not just him, but Shizu-chan too. And that realization was dragging him down more than he would ever like to admit.

"They just gross me out," he heard himself mumble, wondering why he was even trying to keep up an act, a mask, why he even tried to reassure the blond. It wasn´t like lying to him would make them live longer.

"And that´s all that is to it?" Apparently the blond had one of his smart perceptive moments, because he didn´t seem to buy his petty excuse of an answer anyway.

"Are you doubting me?"

"I´m trying not to."

...

What was he supposed to say? That he didn´t think life was even worth struggling and fighting for anymore? What life? Always being on the watch out always having to be alert, getting close to no sleep, keeping killing for nothing.

"I just can´t stand the sight of them anymore," the raven sighed heavily, not quite daring to say his exact thoughts out loud, who knew how the blond would take it.

"The zombies?" Shizu-chan asked with that all too familiar frown on his face. Hah, he looked worried, an expression Izaya was surprisingly used to see by now.

"Not necessarily them, but yeah that too. That thing- did you see it? Do you even think that kind of creature can be fixed?" Just the thought of it seemed ridiculous to Izaya just by saying it out loud. Whatever that had been, it definitely hadn´t been human anymore.

Shizu-chan frowned as though he wanted to protest.

"But you said you have an antidote."

The antidote, hm?

"I said I have a possible antidote. I don´t know if it will even work Shizu-chan." If he could even create it. He knew Shizu-chan had no idea what it took to create this so called solution, that they neither had the resources nor the equipment needed for it.

Electricity was something that didn´t come around the corner all of a sudden these days. "If it´s not going to work, then what...?"

He had no other plan.

After finishing the antidote his plans ended. That´s all he had plotted that´s what he had clung to, but now that they were searching for a place to create it in the unavoidable possible failure just kept coming closer and closer.

…

Shizuo understood what Izaya was getting at. At least he felt like he did.

He knew what Izaya was getting at and yet- Somehow Shizuo found himself thinking he didn´t even care. Right now he was totally fine. Except for being mad at the assholes and feeling worried over Izaya's injuries he couldn´t ask for more.

Was it because he was so simple?

Izaya would probably laugh at him for it.

But now after everything that happened-

"It can´t get worse, now can it?" The words obviously caused the raven confusion as he furrowed his brows.

The way he put it probably sounded stupid too- awkwardly rubbing his neck the blond wondered how to express what he meant.

"I mean, you keep saying how things won´t get better. But you know, they won´t get worse either." Only for a second the possibility of something even worse than the midnight zombies appearing crossed his mind, but the thought was chased away as soon as it acted up. "Sure it sucks to always be on the watch out for shitty zombies, but you know, uh... it doesn´t suck as much as I thought to be stuck like this together with you."

The confusion on Izaya´s expression only seemed to grow more and more with each word he said.

"Are you saying you don´t want everything to turn back to normality?" groaning the blond ruffled through his blond hair, seriously he would kill right now to be able to express himself as well as Izaya did.

"I´m just saying, even if it doesn´t work out, it just... doesn´t matter...?"

"You ask me?" the raven rose an eyebrow. Great that sounded more like a question than a response.

"No, but, I mean we kept surviving like this and even though we went through some great shit it´s not like our whole trip was uh... bad you know, it´s just-" by now Shizuo wasn´t even sure what exactly he wanted to say anymore, "even if it doesn´t work, it´s ... fine you know."

…

Fine, huh?

Izaya could see how hard Shizu-chan was struggling to try and get across what he meant. And even though he did it in the most complicated way, he understood.

… in a really weird sense, what Shizu-chan said made sense.

He had no plan apart for the antidote, and he didn´t know what was still to come and yet the way the blond put their situation, he felt at ease.

All his normal life in Shinjuku, what had he been doing? What were humans always doing? Craving for happiness if it came down to it.

He achieved it through plotting and annoying a certain monster, Shizu-chan probably through friendship and cakes.

And even though they had faced more hard times than good ones he couldn´t bring himself to disagree with the blond.

If they really focused on getting to a safe location now and just took care of themselves, who said they couldn´t just be _fine_ with that?

Once he got a good night's sleep, a proper meal and security- who was to say he would still feel this frustrated after that?

"I mean, so you don´t have to worry you know, or think you have to do this by yourself alone and just and uh- I don´t know what to say anymore," the blond continued with a groan obviously still trying to make himself understood. It made the raven smile unwillingly.

He was right, from now on things were going to look better. Even if the antidote didn´t work. They knew about the nightly creatures, they knew about their weakness and he could annoy Shizu-chan almost 24/7- from now on things would be easier, safer.

Because they had information, ne?

"Shizu-chan are you actually trying to cheer me up?" the raven chirped, not feeling like moping around anymore. The blond blinked obviously surprised by his sudden change of attitude.

"I ... guess?" Shizu-chan was right, he had been running in circles in his mind.

Did he want to die? No.

Was he going to give up before trying? No.

"What are you waiting for?" Skipping on with the bag on his back he glanced over his shoulder with a soft smile on his lips. "We should hurry up if we want to find a good place for us two, ne?"

A bit surprised the blond blinked, but he was relieved as it seemed whatever was weighing on Izaya´s mind had lightened up.

**To be continued~**

**Heheheheheeh C: C: C: C: C: AND NOW**

**THE SWEEEEEETEST chapter EVER is approaching ho ho ho ho ho C: C: C: C:**

**But first: I`M SO SORRRYYYYYY**

**Holy shit I only noticed today just how freaking long it has been since I updated this ;A; I´m sowy minna 3 Next update will be coming out exactly in 14 days I promise xD No more slugging around x'D I will be updating the new Sinful Desire chapter today and I will get every other story I´m writing now updated till the end of this week C':**

**Everything is like almost done xDD**

**I was working on all chapters at once and now I´m such a late shit geez xDD Sowy people C':**

**To make up at least a bit for it, as you saw I have a new profile pic, and I actually recorded myself drawing it and managed to make a speed video from it xD Lmao my internet is s shitty it took 3 days to upload x'D I´m not even kidding it were really three days xD**

**Anyway, just google this on youtube:**

**Shizaya speeddrawing "Sinful Desire" Chap. 3**

**Or try this link-  
**

**<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSBou6zaMGQ> **

**Whelp, that´s it for now, see you all in 14 days! Nah or wait, let´s make it even less, See you on 8th April! *0***

**I wanted to change my updating schedule to Saturday anyway, so whelp, here I am xD This time I won´t be late!**

 


	23. ஜ Home ஜ

-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

**-Izaya´s point of view.-**

Looking for somewhere safe- that had been the plan. But that was easier said than done.

Knocking over a little stone with his shoe the raven slowly but surely strolled over the destroyed streets. There wasn´t much left that reminded him of how vibrant this city had been once.

With no street lights and people or cars the city just seemed so... empty. And the strangest thing of all was that they seemed to actually be alone.

There were still none of the usual zombies.

Which only lead to two possible conclusions- the nightly creatures had either killed them all or they _were_ the former normal zombies.

Both options made shiver travel down the raven´s spine. When he imagined that every single one of these groaning creatures was going to turn into one of these... these.. _beasts_ one day, it just made his throat constrict.

It made him feel afraid- funny he thought the times were long over where he would hide beneath blankets from evil monsters.

Looking over his shoulder he glanced at the brute who was following him like an obedient puppy. In this time and day it was odd to think that way probably, but seeing that Shizu-chan was there comforted him more than he would have liked to admit.

The dark shadows filling the houses left and right to them did the opposite. He could imagine them- hiding. Waiting for the sun to disappear so they could come crawling out of the houses to search for fresh flesh.

"Do you think they are dead?" Again it had been Shizu-chan who spoke up first.

"Who?" the raven asked, taking one more step into the direction of a store, glancing inside. Nothing but darkness looked back at him and the hope for them to find an actual building they could hide in, diminished to an incredibly slim degree.

"The other zombies," Shizuo spoke on, squinting his eyes softly in an attempt to make more out that the black shadows.

Sighing the raven walked on and down the street.

"... I don´t know." Should he let the brute in on his thoughts? The option of the usual zombies evolving? He didn't know whether it was a smart move or not.

Apart from fright what else would that piece of information give them?

Exactly, nothing. Moreover he wasn´t even too sure of his own hypothesis. If they were lucky the usual zombies just died. Actually he preferred that option, the daytime would be safe that way and they wouldn´t need to worry- unless...

...

It was a frightening thought but- if the zombies did evolve- then they had evolved from weak groaning, blind creatures to fast, strong and seeing monsters.

So what would the next step be?

Overcoming... their fear of light?

Just imagining that these creatures might as well come out crawling from the buildings all of a sudden sent chills down the raven´s spine.

"Where do you want to find a safe place here?" Being snapped out of his thoughts the raven stopped in his steps. The blond had stopped too. In the middle of the road he was twisting and turning around to look at each of the buildings, but-...

"These shitheads are crawling around everywhere aren´t they?" He was right.

Even though Izaya hated to admit it he couldn´t deny what he said.

If they just found something, anything, that had a window or two, just one room of a house or whatever that they could enter- Shizu-chan could even take care of some shitheads hiding in there, but like this-

They were in a city. It was midday at least so the streets were illuminated well enough, but what when the sun´s rays moved? When the shadows grew and the creatures moved out?

No matter what building he looked at, there were no windows apart from the front of the stores and shops. Who knew how many creatures were even hiding in there-

Taking up his steps again the raven ignored the question for now.

They had to find something, if they didn´t- ...

They had to.

Not saying another word the blond followed. He had the urge to ask Izaya what his plan was, if he had a plan B in case they didn´t find anything- he was sure he had, but somehow- he couldn´t bring himself to ask.

Izaya always had a plan and to think that this time maybe, just maybe he didn´t was almost scary.

Taking another turn the two went into another one of the endless streets of the city. Shizuo had just been about to ask Izaya if it weren´t safer to drive somewhere with the car again- but then his eyes caught something.

Something as in, a building.

"Ne Izaya, how about this actually?" Turning around the raven looked at the blond, only to follow his glance to the right of the street.

"This-" A heavy gate, with only one door swing left came into his sight. Huge and white it was standing there- it seemed like it was pretty old, 19th century the raven supposed. Built out of marble and stones.

"A school?" Waving in the wind there was a flag attached to a pole. It was ripped apart and something red stuck to it that heavily reminded the raven of blood.

"... a school," the raven repeated more to himself than to the blond-

This-

And then a huge smile spread across the raven´s face.

"Shizu-chan you are a genius!"

"What?" perplex and almost shocked the blond watched the raven as he ran to the front gate. For a second he almost thought the flea went crazy and was going to leap inside it without a second thought, but he stopped right before the gate to look over his shoulder.

"You coming?" Still a bit confused as to why the raven seemed to be so elated about the school the blond reached for the pole with the flag on it- with a painful screech it got ripped from the ground as the blond caught up with the raven.

"You seriously want to go in there?" he asked, eyes narrowing just the slightest bit as he glanced inside the building.

It wasn´t completely dark in there. He could spot a corridor with lockers left and right- four doors on each side.

Somehow this place sent chills down Shizuo´s spine.

The last time they had entered a building like this Izaya almost got killed.

"Shizu-chan, this would be perfect. What do schools have?" the raven questioned, seemingly unaffected by the similarity of the situation.

Shizuo meanwhile was just as confused as before.

"Classrooms?" he asked not knowing what the flea was trying to point at.

"And?" the raven urged him on, still grinning like an idiot.

Frowning more the blond tried to think- what could it be the raven was so happy about?

...

No use.

"I really don't know what you are talking about flea," the blond mumbled, making the raven sigh.

"Shizu-chan, they have chemicals for chemistry, they have all kinds of utensils I can use- Remember physics class? I bet they have enough stuff to use and try create electricity!" the raven started to explain, "and what more, this is an old building, old yes, but sturdy! They have a nursery and showers as well, do you realize how perfect this is?" the raven explained, finally feeling like he was seeing a ray at the end of the tunnel.

Although all Shizuo could see were shadows at the end of the corridor.

"You really want us to go in there...?" The idea didn´t sit well with him at all. Sure he understood what Izaya was going on about, but hearing all the positive aspects and knowing going in there with the knowledge of these monsters waiting for them were two completely different things.

"Shizu-chan this is perfect, I doubt we will find anything like this today," the raven made clear and with that he slipped inside the vaguely lit corridor-

_Tch-_

Feeling something pull at the back of his coat instantly the raven paused, only to have the blond move in front of him.

"I got it already flea. But let me go first." Eyebrows furrowed deep the blond let his eye travel around their surroundings.

There was a window at the end of the corridor and sunlight was illuminating the first half of the corridor. Taking a few steps inside they reached the first door on the right of the hallway.

Classroom 1A was written on the door. The raven shuffled over and glanced through a small window embedded in the door.

He could spot tables, desks, the headboard, ditched school bags- one thing he noticed only now.

There was not a single stain of blood. No corpse, no nothing.

The opposite, the classroom seemed like it had been cleaned up nicely and left in no hurry.

Thinking about it, the schools were probably one of the first institutions that got closed down after the virus spread. People feeling sick would stay home from work after all, therefore only turn in their own houses.

Classes would be cancelled, teachers missing until the school got eventually temporary closed. It was almost like the raven could see it in front of his eyes.

Children sitting here and there, a few of them coughing and wheezing- everyone would think they just had the flu or a cold- until the first few turned at home.

Stepping back from the door he looked at the blond.

"Guess there won´t be any lessons held anymore, ne?" it had a bitter taste on his tongue and yet- right now this was the best option they had.

The blond right next to him they walked to the next door. Again it was a classroom, the same picture as before.

Shizuo was feeling more and more anxious the further they advanced inside the building. The classrooms were empty, illuminated even, the corridor seemed to be empty as well and yet Shizuo couldn´t help but feel his hair stand on ends.

When they had entered the hospital everything seemed alright too. It seemed alright to a degree that made them let their guard down.

There were stairs, leading to the second floor.

Light was everywhere as the while east wall of the building seemed to have been renovated with glass elements.

The blond couldn´t say he disliked that.

Class after class they checked out, and then Izaya opened another door with the labeling "Chemistry room" written on a paper that got taped to the door.

Shizuo really liked that one. Not only because of the fancy objects standing around in shelves, no, but the sun was illuminating the entire thing. Feeling a bit of the anxiety drop of his shoulders he closed the door behind him and watched the raven examine the various objects and chemicals.

"This is perfect," the raven mumbled by himself as he pulled open a drawer filled with some odd tubes and pipettes.

"What about a room we can stay in?" the blond asked. Sure now the school seemed to be free from danger, but once the sun set nothing would hinder the monster zombies from coming in here. Pushing the drawer close again the raven got up once more.

"Actually I have an idea about that."

And so they went to the room right next to the chemical´s one.

Door swinging open a ray of appreciated light greeted the blond.

It was a library.

It was just one window that managed to illuminated the whole room, but it was a huge one.

Small in broad, but wide in height it reached from the floor to the high ceiling. Considering the other room´s so far it was obvious this one was one of the non renovated parts. Old mahogany book shelves were decorating every single one of the walls- they looked sturdy and just as huge as the window.

Colorful seat sacks were decorating the floor as no one had bothered to actually put tables or chairs inside this room.

"What about it? This is big enough, easy to look over, nothing can surprise us or hide," the raven spoke- and sure he was right. The shape of the room was round compared to the others and considering there were only seat sacks laying on the ground there was really nothing to complain about.

"But the window-" the blond threw in, but Izaya already had an idea on hand for the obvious problem.

"Of course we will get something to barricade the door and window," Izaya chirped and with that he let himself slump into one of the cushions.

No matter how good this place seemed to be, Shizuo could help but feel anxious about it. Something irked him about this place but he couldn´t tell what it was.

It was almost... too easy.

He was about to protest, ask Izaya if it weren´t safer to find something small, maybe a cellar like he had suggested or something else-

But the way Izaya's face crunched up a bit when he moved wrong in the cushion made him shut up. He had probably tried to twist around or something and his wound reminded him gladly how he wouldn´t be able to do that for a while.

That´s right. Izaya was injured. And not only that, he was tired. Exhausted.

... both of them were as Izaya had pointed out earlier.

Izaya was right, this place seemed like it was perfect for them to stay. At least for a while- at least until they rested up, until Izaya healed-

If they left now to search for something better they might not even find, then who knew what would happen.

Where would he drag Izaya to? For how long?

The raven was at his limits even if he didn´t say so.

"How do we barricade them though?" he asked, looking at their surroundings. A window as huge as that- they would barely be able to cover it with anything he suspected.

But as always Izaya already had an idea. Pointing at the bookshelves he cocked his head into the direction of the window.

"Try moving one," the raven suggested and so the blond walked over. To be honest Shizuo would have never thought a mere bookshelf would be enough to properly barricade a window and door, but- after he tried pushing the thing he paused blinking for a second.

These old bookshelves filled with books were surprisingly hard to move.

"Didn´t think books can be that... heavy," the blond noted, shoving the thing in front of the window. The sun was gradually but surely sinking on the west side.

"And that´s why paper beats stone~" the raven purred.

"What?" Getting up again from the pillow like seat sacks the raven walked to the shelves, glancing at the various titles.

"Rock paper scissors?" he asked with a grin, making the blond understand as a short "Oh," left his lips.

To be honest he liked this.

This entire building.

Might be because he enjoyed himself in high school way too much- especially chasing a certain brute around, but he really felt like they would be safe in here. Surrounded by nothing but books and walls, he felt a bit like he were still in his apartment.

The roof was higher, but not too high to make him feel uneasy.

"And now?" the blond asked after having shoved the bookshelf partly in front of the window.

Grinning the raven stepped to the door.

"Now we get cozy Shizu-chan~!"

-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

**To be continued~ C:**

**Lmao you didn´t see this coming did you xDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD a school xD But hey xD Now, now I´m really done with all the preparations C': the cutest fluff ever is awaiting you next chapter 3 Seriously next chapter xD There is nothing left to except for them to finish carrying the shit over till the cutie stuff starts xD**

**So really, next time it´s gonna be extremely cute C; and heart warming dawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww**

**Sorry I was a bit late with updating this chapter C: and I also notice I accidentally put the wrong update date on the last chapter too xD lmao xD I should be watching out for that more carefully ahahah xD**

**Next update will be out on April the 29th C:**

 


	24. ஜ Cozy, cozy~ ஜ

-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

**-Izaya´s point of view.-**

Wiping a few pearls of sweat from his forehead the raven let himself lean against the doorframe for a second.

Fatigue was starting to take a toll on him- it wasn't like he hadn't gotten any rest- considering they had had quite the peaceful night after their incident with the nightly creatures he had actually had a good night's sleep for once in a while.

But upon waking up he had already noticed just how exhausted he actually was- and it only grew over the duration of time.

Letting his eyes travel over the now fairly different appearance of the library the raven found himself almost looking forward to their stay here. Especially since he had something planned ahead for the tired blond.

He knew Shizuo was just as exhausted and fatigued as he was, so leaving him alone to do all the work was out of option. Sure the monster definitely had more strength but still-

He knew it wasn't smart to keep straining himself like this, but considering what was waiting for them outside in the dark by the time the sun set, a certain degree of anxiety was layered thick in the air that just didn't allow Izaya to stay put.

At least not yet.

Taking a deep breath he exhaled slowly- not much longer. They were already save- maybe it was exactly this knowledge that made him feel so sluggish. Because deep down he knew they were safe and he could just rest already, or let´s say at least his body seemed to know that.

Walking in with yet another one of the boxes Izaya had prepared in the chemics room, Shizuo paused for a moment in his steps glancing at the raven.

"You okay?"

Sometimes Izaya hated how quickly the blond could ascertain things. Pushing himself off the wall he smiled at the blond and waved him off.

"Of course Shizu-chan, is this the last box?"

But the frown that appeared on Shizu-chan´s face made the raven realize that his attempts to act to the blond were becoming more and more fruitless with each day that passed.

"Stop walking around." Towering in front of him that blond had walked up to the raven.

Shizuo didn't like seeing Izaya walk around so much, he knew if he said something about that matter the flea would simply respond by acting even more careless, just to prove a point, but he just would have to keep him from doing that, right?

"Why? We still have to secure a few more of these boxes you know. Can´t have those creatures come in here and destroy everything during the night." the raven informed and even though it pissed the blond off, he knew he was right about that.

Gruffing a bit the blond shoved the box he had been holding onto in one of the now empty bookshelves.

While he had mostly been doing the hard work like carrying everything up the stairs, getting a desk and chairs from the first floor the flea had mostly spent his time in this still illuminated room, throwing out books from the shelves and collecting everything they needed in boxes he found in the classroom next to the chemic´s.

By now the library looked more like a flat than a library. Most of the book were gone, except for those in the two cupboards they were going to use to barricade the door and window with.

Boxes, food, band aids, everything they could possibly need was now resting in the shelves.

There was a huge desk opposite to the window now- the blond had gotten that one from the principal's office. He even carried the swivel chair over, having a feeling the raven would like that one better to work in. Another table had found its way into the room right next to it.

Two chairs were placed left and right, facing each other- Izaya even made him get dishes from the school cafeteria- surprisingly they also had edible food left in there, which was also resting in the shelves.

Smelling the nostalgic scent of stew in the air the blond glanced for a second to the third and last desk in the room, right below the bookshelf that contained their food. Izaya had burnt one of the books and placed it inside a pot, while using one of the chemic´s weird looking instruments to make another pot dangle above it.

The flea had opened the window for the smoke to escape and to let the sun shine in.

Shizuo could see it start to lower itself towards the horizon in the distance, but that would only be due in two or three hours.

Of course the stew cooking in there was only from cans, but that didn't make it smell any less delicious.

Now if he were hungry, the meal cooking over there would surely make him drool- but he wasn´t.

All in all he felt way to tense to let his guard down.

Izaya was exhausted, and still injured which worried Shizuo- the zombies were waiting for them outside, and they had yet to see if they really wouldn´t get in here during the night.

What's more, he hated this building. He didn't even know why, and he had no logical reasoning for it, but he felt as though he should keep a really close eye on the flea.

Maybe he was starting to get paranoid from everything that happened so far, but he couldn't help feeling that way.

"You have to rest, Izaya," he wasn't going to let the flea off the hook this easily.

"Do I?" the raven hummed as though he didn't even listen and walked on- what he didn't expect was a hand latching to his wrist holding him back.

Turning around the raven looked at the blond, that didn't seem like he was joking.

"Want me to make you?"

A moment of silence passed. It made the blond wonder if the flea was going to be stubborn for much longer, and how he would be persuading him to just rest already, but then the flea sighed and turned around.

"Alright, I got it," pleasantly surprised he let go of the man who turned to face the couch instead that Shizuo had dragged up here. It was a rather simple one, moveable too, it could be folded or spread open into a bed like it was right now. He suspected it had been used for short naps during breaks.

The nursery in this school had only consisted of one fairly small room- apart from being filled with medical supplies there were no beds for students there like he knew it from Raira.

Feeling the tension fade a bit the blond sighed as well, letting his hand brush through his still damp hair.

The showers they had, had only cold water left, but it was better than nothing. Rinsing their bodies off had had both a comforting and exhausting effect on both of them he suspected. And while Izaya had gotten himself a black shirt and pants from a stores window across the street, he had stuck to some plain pants and a white shirt that they found in what Shizuo supposed to be the lost and found basket for sports clothes.

Sitting there on the couch like this, the coat still on and the dirt washed off his face Izaya looked just like he used to. Maybe a bit thinner and pale, and injured, but still, it felt as though none of this shit had ever really happened in the first place.

"What else do you want to get anyway?" the blond questioned, sitting down next to the flea. After all from what he could see they had pretty much anything they could possibly need in here already.

The raven merely shrugged.

"Nothing. I just wanted to look around," he informed the man, letting himself slump back on the couch.

Taking in the sight of an exhausted, not smirking, not playing or plotting louse the blond found himself thinking just how much their relationship had changed in these past days.

When he spotted Izaya on the streets, only minutes after Kasuka and Tom died, he really wanted the flea to just drop dead.

And now he wanted to use his strength to do nothing but make sure he wouldn´t.

It had been two days since he operated on the flea- honestly speaking it was a miracle he was still alive, not to mention walking around. The stitches had to have reopened the night before as well- but with Izaya running off in the morning to fix himself up he had no idea how bad it really was.

"Are you still hurting?" The glance Izaya cast at him seemed as though the raven wanted to say something, but bit his tongue.

Izaya knew Shizu-chan was worried about him, and he had been about to say he was fine just as usual- but now that he thought about it, the blond wasn't going to believe him anyway if he did. Hell he got operated on and got into a car crash yesterday, no one would believe him he was fine. So for the sake of the blond to stop worrying, wouldn't the truth be better?

"Yeah, but it's bearable." Being honest struck him as the right option. He wasn't going to fill the blond in how much exactly he hurt and what he was feeling like, but at least this much honesty was something Shizu-chan deserved.

Deeming he had given the right answer as Shizu-chan´s expression relaxed the blond got up from the couch again and moved over to the bookshelf next to the door.

Grasping the object left and right the blond moved it slowly, but steadily, making the raven blink as he let himself flop over on his side.

"What are you doing?" he asked, propping up one elbow to lean upon.

The bookshelf protested with a creak as it came to a halt, making the blond let go of it and returned.

"Closing this up. We aren't going to leave anymore today anyway, are we?"

True. Honestly speaking they had everything they could possibly need. From the chemicals and instruments necessary for creating the antidote, to less important things like dishes and a blanket, they got everything they needed.

"Now the only thing left to do is survive and create the antidote~" the raven chirped, sprawling on the couch, one leg propped up the other dangling down on the side.

Sinking in just a bit the couch shifted as Shizu-chan took his seat below his legs.

A soft hum of approval left his lips in response to his remark, but somehow it was missing enthusiasm.

"Why are you so tense? You should relax," Izaya hummed, sitting up straight again in order to read the blond's expression better.

"Says the one that kept running around for hours with an injury."

_Good remark._

"Well but I'm resting now, aren't I?" Izaya protested, knowing full well that the blond was just avoiding the topic. Namely him. "You should too," shifting on the couch left and right he tried to find a good position that would cause the least strain on his waist. "This couch mightn´t be the sturdiest one, but hey, it´s more than what I hoped for~"

No reaction.

Glancing at the blond he followed his gaze, leading to the huge window. The sun was still up for at least an hour or two. There was nothing extraordinary that caught his attention either. Just the city. A few buildings, light- well Izaya knew it wasn't really the scenery Shizu-chan was looking at. His eyes were too distant for that too… too deep in thoughts.

"What's bothering you Shizu-chan?" He knew something was just from glancing at the blond. Funny, considering he had never quite been able to read the blond at all before.

"The zombies from before," Shizu-chan started mumbling, shifting his gaze to his hands, folded in his lap instead.

Izaya cringed softly at the vocabulary he used to describe the creatures with but didn't comment on it.

"What about them?"

A strained sigh left the blond's lips as he lifted a palm shortly to brush through his blond hair.

"That kind of thing might happen again, won't it...?"

Confusion scribbled across Izaya's face as he tried to make out what exactly the blond meant. It wasn't like they had only encountered these assholes once by now so the options of the situations he could be talking about were fairly vast.

"What exactly?" he tried further, hoping the blond would specify what he meant.

The hand in his lap tightened to a loose fist the other finding its way to Shizu-chan´s forehead.

"Them attacking us. You getting injured and…" the blond let himself slump on his back, arm covering his eyes as if to try and block out all the shit around them. "that woman was right wasn't she? With what she said about your injury, and surviving."

A slight frown appeared on Izaya's expression as he realized what the blond was talking about.

He didn't like this, it was almost like Shizu-chan was losing hope. Sure he hadn't been the optimist between the two ever since he met him on the streets, but with how Shizu-chan had tried to cheer him up when it had been Izaya who felt as though everything was useless it had been more than nice to have someone tell him everything was going to be okay.

Even if it was an empty promise.

"Was she?" the raven asked, rolling over and to Shizuo's mild surprise right on top of him. Propping one elbow up on his chest while using the other arm to keep his balance the blond followed Izaya's movement.

He couldn't help but notice how warm and comforting it felt just to have the flea this close to him.

"Listen," the flea started, obviously not noticing what he did with his action, "we are safe here." he rose his hand, gesturing around the library, "they can't get in here. Do you remember the hospital?"

Almost flinching at the reminder of that deadly place the blond frowned deeply. Nodding to himself in confirmation the raven hummed, "Of course you do. You see, the door was busted from inside out, but, the only thing that secured the door was a stick shoved between the handles of the wing," the raven explained, only confusing the blond as he didn't know what he was even trying to say.

"You see, it was bound to break sooner or later, and lucky as we were we came just at the worst time," the flea continued, only making Shizuo´s puzzled expression grow worse.

"How is reminding me of that going to make me believe we are safe here?"

The raven grinned as if he had been waiting for that question.

" _Because_ of the stick. Look, these creatures are strong, right? But not that strong. If they couldn't break the wooden stick that kept the door closed for so long, then there is no way they will get in here when the door and window is barricaded with a bookshelf so heavy even you had troubles moving."

…

Oh.

The confusion finally lifting the blond realized what Izaya was pointing at.

"I dunno if you forgot it," the raven continued, "but you are pretty much the only human I ever saw that possesses this kind of strength. I highly doubt any of these creatures could ever match you."

A surprised blink followed on Shizu-chan´s part and the flea wondered for a second if he had ended up confusing him more.

That was until Izaya himself was left to blink.

"Did you just call me human?"

Of all the nicknames, from Shizu-chan to monster, beast, protozoan, amoeba and brute, the only thing that Izaya had always declined on calling him was being humane. He did so to a point Shizuo actually thought the flea truly thought of him as a monster.

And seeing how the raven seemed at a lack for words he probably had done so without noticing as well.

"Well," the raven cleared his throat quickly, "compared to the monsters inhabiting Japan you are probably the most humane living creature out there," he quickly said, trying to explain his slip up.

But too late, he could already spot a soft smile spreading over Shizu-chan´s lips.

"The most humane creature? What about you?" Ah well, fuck it, if it made Shizu-chan happy then so be it. He had been trying to cheer him up after all.

"Oh, I'm a god Shizu-chan, I don't count," the raven chirped with a grin, only causing the blond to snort.

"The god of what, mischief?"

"How rude, I was more thinking about intelligence and strategy there." The blond laughed and just let his head tilt back for a second, closing his eyes.

Somehow what the flea had said had helped ease his worries a bit. He could literally feel the tension leave his body the longer that louse talked.

It might be due to how warm and soft the skinny flea felt against his body like this, but no matter what it was definitely Izaya's presence that made him feel better.

As long as Izaya was around everything was gonna be alright somehow.

He felt as though he had come to the same conclusion a second time- but he just couldn't help but feel that way.

Opening his eyes again to glance at the flea on top of him the raven hummed.

"Feeling better?" he asked with a grin, "Less tense?"

The blond couldn't help but snort at the question.

"Yeah."

A sudden clap being made by the raven's two palms startled the blond and the flea got up.

"Okay then I have something for you~!" Confused the blond blinked, wondering what the hell the flea was up to now.

"But you have to do me a favor and close your eyes~!" the raven added suddenly, spinning around once more- one would think the louse should be hurting and resting, but no. It hadn't only been once that Shizuo found himself thinking that the louse had to be a masochist of some sort the way he kept straining himself without a care.

"Huh? Why?"

"Aw Shizu-chan, please you are ruining the fun. Just do it please."

Reluctantly the blond nodded with a sigh.

"… I swear if you are doing anything weird I will kill you." Letting his eyes slip shut the blond concentrated on his hearing instead.

"I´m not. Just keep your eyes closed alright?" he heard the raven say and he could swear he could hear that grin on his face.

To say he was curious was almost an underestimation. On one hand he almost expected Izaya to just annoy the hell out of him and pull a prank just for the heck of it. But on the other hand-

…

No scratch the other hand the flea was totally gonna pull a prank on him.

"Don't open them until I tell you to~!"

He could hear the flea rummage in the cupboards, heard him swear once too and run around. He had the urge to squint through his lashes and catch a peek of what he was doing, but he kept his eyes closed.

Instead he tried to just enjoy the moment- until whatever the flea had prepared was probably gonna ruin it. But like this right now, he just felt cozy. And he had to say that bad gut feeling about this place was fading as well.

A sudden odd smell infiltrating his nose made the blond frown.

"Are you burning something?"

A snort was heard and a short: "Maybe?"

" _Maybe_?" the blond repeated now actually kinda alerted. What the hell was the flea doing?

But his curiosity was going to be satisfied as the flea finally spelled the anticipated words.

"Okay, now you can look~!"

**To be continued~**

**xDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD Lmao I can imagine your face xD**

**Ahahahahahaahahahahah lol what do you think the flea is doing? x'DDD just let me say, this chapter was a bit cute, BUT the actual cute part that is waiting for you still hasn´t happened ho ho ho C: C: You will have to wait and see what Izaya is doing first ho ho hoho ho xDDDDDDDDDDDDD**

**Lmao I have way too much fun ending the chapter like this x'DDDDDDD**

**I love ya all xDDDD**

**Well then, the next chapter will be up on may the 13th C':**

**As for the other updates, Sns and SD, well the sex is taking longer to write then I thought and for Sns I barely found time xD I'm getting Australian fat tail geckos and was way too busy getting everything prepared for the two sweethearts ho ho ho ho -squeals in joy-**

**And I´m writing on two surprise fics so whelp xDDDDD Not to mention the end of ast x'DDD ahhh does everyone have troubles writing the last chapter of any story or is it just me? xDD lmao, anyway, see you in 14 days~! *^*^*^***

**PS.: Happy birthday sweetie xD I´m two days late but ahhh I hope you can forgive me C':**

-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-*0*-๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

 


	25. -๑-๑ஜ ๑- Happy birthday~ -๑ஜ ๑-๑-

**-Shizuo´s point of view. In the library. January the 30th-**

It was white yup.

Round.

Decorated with what looked like chocolate.

A couple candles were gleaming, illuminating the desk and what was on top of it with their orange light. The raven put the lighter on the table and smiled at the blond with a wide grin.

For a second Shizuo was just left to blink and wonder, if maybe Izaya had just hit him really hard on the back of his head, because this pretty much looked like a vivid hallucination of a tiny birthday cake.

"Your birthday kinda passed and I bet you didn't notice so-" he half explained, fading out at the end of his sentence to gesture to the cake instead.

"... this…" the blond mumbled intelligently, not really knowing yet if he should believe what he was seeing or not.

"Ah, I know it's probably odd to do this sort of thing when everything is doomed anyway, but I think it´s exactly now that we should pay attention to those things," Izaya started speaking, though Shizuo was still way too surprised to even really listen.

He knew his birthday was in January. He liked to forget it too. Every year around this time Kasuka would drop by to remind him he got older, but now with everything that happened…

He couldn't believe what he was seeing- or rather, it was just so… out of place. With the danger surrounding them constantly and the worries and fears they had, this kind of thing just-

He didn't know what to say.

"The burning smell?" he asked instead remembering that hadn't quite smelled like candles, making the raven grin sheepishly.

"I might have accidentally dropped a candle and set the table cloth on fire," Izaya shrugged nonchalant making the blond's eyes travel to the table cloth. There really was a small black spot on the white fabric.

It was only then that the blond noticed there were two things laying next to the small cake.

Cigarettes. And not any kind- Blue American Spirit Cigarettes.

"They are my favorite," Shizuo mumbled, reaching for them as he took a close look, "How did you know?" A snort followed and the raven grasped the ledge of the chair opposite to the one Shizuo was supposed to sit in and sat down.

"Shizu-chan please, I´m the best information broker in Shinjuku," he purred, propping up an elbow on the desk to lean his chin onto. "You have been craving for a smoke ever since you smoked the last one on top of that roof. It´s obvious by the way you keep touching and licking your lips," Izaya explained, imitating the little movements and gestures he had seen from the blond. "But don´t smoke them next to me," he quickly added, "I hate the smell of cigarettes."

Shizuo couldn't help but stifle a small laugh at the condition. This was just like Izaya, giving him a present but stating certain requirements and restrictions for it.

"And one more thing," the raven grinned, directing Shizuo´s attention to a lump of clothes next to the tiny cake.

"This-" Having wondered what this was supposed to be since he laid eyes upon the desk the blond watched Izaya as he unfolded the fabric.

A sense of nostalgia overwhelmed him as he recognized the all too familiar patterns and shapes.

"It´s not exactly like the one you always wear, and it´s not from your brother, but hey, these outfits do suit you Shizu-chan," the raven hummed, as Shizuo was taking in the sight of a new bartender suit.

Disbelieving he stared at it.

"You got that for me?" He mumbled, still way too baffled and overwhelmed by all of this to react or respond properly.

The raven seemed to be satisfied though as he merely chuckled and set it down again.

"Happened to stumble upon them while fixing me up in the morning." It was then that the raven pushed himself up from the desk once more and walked over.

Shizuo was still standing, not yet having had the urge to take his seat at the desk as he could just take in this unexpected surprise.

"I guess your brother and mum would do something like hugging you or something," the raven mumbled, "I know I´m not them but," and then there was a pair of arms hesitantly wrapping around him.

It was a bit awkward- and yet Shizuo felt so touched by everything unfolding in front of his eyes he couldn't feel anything but the warmth spreading inside his chest at the tender action.

He could feel Izaya's hair tickle his neck, the raven standing on his toes, being just a bit too short.

"Happy birthday Shizu-chan," the raven whispered as though he didn't want to startle the all too quiet blond.

It was sweet, sad, it had something bitter to it, and yet- wrapping his own arms around the raven he hugged him back tightly. He received a surprised yelp from the flea, but he didn't complain.

Hugging huh, he couldn't remember Kasuka doing it. But remembering how fond Izaya had talked about his siblings he could suddenly picture Izaya hugging his sisters at each of their birthdays.

He should feel sad, because Kasuka died and everyone else and the world was just going down the gutter, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to. He was sad and yet at the same time he was just ... touched. Somehow he really felt happy.

"Thank you, Izaya."

Hearing the words being whispered back the raven couldn't help but notice the soft tremble layered in his words. He almost felt like something tugged inside his chest upon the discovery.

"Are you crying Shizu-chan?" he mumbled softly, feeling the blond tense up for a second before tightening his hug around the raven just a bit more as if to make sure he didn't escape to take a look at him.

"I'm not, idiot." The raven refrained from saying anything in response. He could almost hear the restraint in Shizu-chan´s voice and imagine the frown he was putting on so he wouldn't notice despite him not even looking.

Letting his hand travel up to the blond's head the raven let his fingers comb through Shizu-chan´s hair in a comforting motion.

Softly his fingers brushed over the silky hair.

"You have surprisingly soft hair you know that?" the raven mumbled mindlessly, making the blond chuckle softly in response.

"What?" Realizing he overstepped a certain small degree of intimacy the raven cleared his throat and quickly left of the blond.

"Nevermind," Izaya hummed as he broke away from Shizu-chan with one of his usual grins on his face.

He was getting a bit too comfortable around the blond wasn´t he?

"Now, blow out the candles to make a wish~!" he chirped quickly, covering up over his silly little action and seated himself at the table. It were only three candles sticking in the tiny cake, but hey, that much had to make do.

Finally unfreezing from his obviously petrified state the blond rose his right arm´s sleeve to his face, rubbing over his eyes, but it was too late anyway, Izaya had spotted the soft glimmer in them as soon as he let go of the hug.

It was odd, but seeing the blond like this, getting to know him on a different level the raven felt something he couldn't quite define.

"Is this… an actual cake?" Shizu-chan mumbled questioningly as he finally took his place opposite to him as well.

"Even though it looks like a real cake it´s just an oversized readymade muffin covered in white chocolate," the raven answered quickly, "the expiration date counts until 2018 and the shelf was facing away from the sun, so I'm pretty sure it's still edible," Izaya explained, wondering for a second if Shizuo-chan really thought he were going to give him something spoilt. The thought oddly offended him for a split moment, but knowing Shizu-chan he probably just thought Izaya might have forgotten to check. "I mean come on, just 6 days have passed since everything went to hell," he added with a smile.

"I see," Shizuo mumbled, still seeming like he wasn't entirely convinced but trusting the flea as he took the fork Izaya prepared next to the plate and stabbed the small treat.

It sure as hell smelled and looked delicious. Just thinking about the last time he had gotten anything sweet like this made his mouth water. Cutting off a piece of the tiny cake he revealed the inside.

Chocolate dough and vanilla were mixed creating a couple swirls- some chocolate chips having been mixed in between the two.

To say it tasted delicious would have been an underestimation. Shizuo felt like his taste buds were exploding.

"Fuck-"

"Hm?" the raven hummed, cocking his head to the side. Swearing wasn't exactly what he had expected the blond to do. Had he gotten something gross after all? Something the blond didn't like? And there he was sure this would be something he enjoyed-

"This tastes awesome-" Blinking the raven looked at the blond before bursting out in laughter.

Awesome was an underestimation. It had been ages since the blond ate anything in the first place. And now having this kind of sweet treat- he felt as though he was in heaven.

"I guess you were hungry after all," the raven choked out during his laughter, making Shizuo wonder just what the hell was so funny about him eating the sweet treat.

As if to agree with Izaya the blond's stomach started growling, only resulting in amusing the flea more.

Although upon seeing how much Shizu-chan was enjoying his treat the raven noticed too how much he was craving for something to eat. The rare feeling of hunger was starting to come back to him and he glanced over to the pot of stew he prepared before.

"I'm dying for something edible too," Izaya announced, and Shizuo watched him as he got up from the desk and he walked over to the other one, which was still being used as a makeshift kitchen.

Just raising the pot´s top made the blond realize just how hungry he was. The smell that had actually only bothered him before suddenly smelt like the most amazing thing in the world.

"You made this for two right?" Shizuo asked, making the grin on Izaya's face only spread that much wider.

"Of course I did, what did you expect?"

Grasping two plates the raven poured some of the already done stew inside them and carried them back to the desk.

"Good thing I made this before we started carrying everything up, ne~?" he purred, sitting down on the table again.

It was when the raven took the first bite of his food that it was the blond's turn to laugh.

"Oh my god I'm starving too-" Izaya mumbled half to himself half to the blond.

"Now you notice?" Shizuo snorted and for a second he wondered just what the hell they had been doing for all those years.

Looking at the makeshift cake, the bartender suit, Izaya- just what had they been mad and angry for all those years? What did he chase him through Ikebukuro for?

Looking at the flea now, knowing what he had done for him, what he had risked for him- it wasn't just that they were getting along as well as they could without biting each other's heads off, no- it had never actually been that way.

Maybe on the first day, when they met. That time Shizuo had really felt the urge to beat the flea up.

Be it pent up frustration or pure rage after seeing his brother and friends die- he didn´t know, maybe it was just the usual reaction he had to seeing the flea in general, he really didn't know, but the rage he felt had not been fake. He hated the flea, with all his might, he had always done so- but after a day, after Izaya tried to cheer him up, after he talked to him about Kasuka- after Izaya told him about his sisters- no maybe even long before that.

Shizuo just felt like his view of the flea had done a complete 180 in these past few days.

He would trust the flea with his life.

If Izaya told him something as ridiculous as not moving when a zombie was running towards Shizuo, then he would do it. Knowing that Izaya had to have some kind of plan that would work if he asked that sort of thing off him.

Without him Shizuo hadn't been able to survive in the first place.

Just looking at his surroundings Shizuo felt as though Izaya created a new "home"- he felt like this was actually a place they could stay in. Away from the zombies, just him and the flea.

Maybe they would find more survivors, maybe not, that didn´t even matter.

Glancing at the flea sitting across of him he wondered if Izaya even realized how amazing he was. With everything he did.

Every small action, be it how easily Izaya managed to cheer him up again, how he managed to make him laugh no matter how shitty their situation was, or the way he was watching out not only for his safety but for his well being as well.

Shizuo knew Izaya was scared of the new zombies, he knew how easy it was to actually hurt the flea, how often they had both been on the brink of death- just thinking about it made his body tense up.

It made the blond feel something he couldn't quite define. It was a mix of wanting to protect the flea and… something he hadn't quite felt before.

The sudden flash of a spoon making his way into his plate snapped the blond of his thoughts as he followed a potato leaving his meal.

"No daydreaming, Shizu-chan or I will end up eating yours~!" the flea suddenly announced, making the blond realize he had spaced out on him for a bit.

"You lousy flea you have your own plate-!" Shizuo complained playfully, snatching the potato back.

A smile spread across the flea´s face, one of the real ones he sometimes showed. It made him feel all warm for a second.

Continuing to eat the blond glanced around the desk.

Birthdays though, huh?

...

"Ne, when is _your_ birthday?" the blond asked suddenly, making the flea glance up from his meal.

"Mine?" he repeated with a blink, not having expected that sort of question.

"Yeah, yours. I want to know." A grin spread over the flea´s expression and he cocked an eyebrow.

"Don't tell me you want to get me something?" he asked with a chuckle. "Shizu-chan now you are really acting odd." Shizuo hummed at that, acting odd, huh? Just because he was trying to see things positive for a bit? He chuckled.

"I just think you are right, we should enjoy the time we have in peace, right?" he asked, remembering what Izaya had told him. After all the flea was right with what he had-

"Ahh, who knows if we are still alive then."

...

His stomach dropped at those words.

… yeah if they were alive.

He felt as though as if someone were tying a knot into his insides.

silence hovered over the desk for a second and the smile dropped from his face.

Izaya wasn't wrong. He didn't know when his birthday was, but- they had barely survived a week.

Who guaranteed they were going to survive for longer than that?

He could feel the familiar feeling of a frown on his face, but Izaya didn't seem to be up to deal with that.

"4th may." Izaya suddenly said, and despite of what he said, his smile hadn´t dropped in the slightest. "If we are still strolling around at that point I expect something great-!" he stated, the mischievous grin on his expression only growing- it was contagious.

Almost seemed like a challenge.

Something great for the flea, hm?

Somehow Shizuo found himself looking forward to that.

It was odd. He had never even thought much of his birthday, he was the type to forget it too- and now-

"Wait, what date do we even have?" he suddenly blinked, realizing that he had no idea at all.

"It´s January the 30th." Izaya informed all too quickly, again making the blond wonder just how the hell Izaya could even keep track of everything like that.

"How do you even know?"

"I keep track of the days," Izaya shrugged, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "though I have to admit it's hard sometimes to remember how many days passed especially when I'm out of it for a day or two-"

Izaya was amazing alright.

"I don't even know things like that when things go the normal way-" Shizuo mumbled, already figuring that he was so going to forget the flea's birthday.

"Then how about making a calendar?"Blinking the blond looked up at the flea again.

"What?" But Izaya had already gotten up from the desk and shuffled over to one of the bookshelves that still contained their original insides.

Taking one of the books the raven tore the first and last page out of the binding, making the blond only wonder all the more what the hell the flea was doing.

"A calendar." the raven repeated as if the blond's expression had told him just how confused he was.

Rummaging in one of the cupboards the blond had to carry in here the raven pulled out a pencil and a ruler, returning back to the desk.

Line after line appeared on the paper, forming dozens of tiny squares.

"There we go now we just gotta fill in the numbers," the flea informed after making two pages full of those shapes. he put January on top of the first page and February on the second.

It was only when the flea scribbled something inside one of the already numerous squares that the blond leaned over more to read.

**January 30th**

_Shizuo´s birthday._

"Why are you putting that on there?" he asked. His birthday was on January the 28th, not the 30th.

"So we don´t forget of course!" the raven chirped happily, ignoring the blond as he scribbled more and more into the tiny squares.

**January 25th**

_Teamed up with Shizu-chan._

**January 26th**

_Shizu-chan saved my life._

"We might as well make this a little diary. Don't you think?" the raven said before the blond could even ask what he was doing. "It would be fun to read it all once it's over and remember the days. Ah but let's only add good things,2 he added, going on with the writing.

Amazed by the idea itself the blond shook his head softly. Looking at this once this whole zombie shit was over, huh?

"Honestly, how the hell can you be so damn positive?" being ignored yet again the raven kept writing on the calendar this time making the blond frown playfully while Izaya turned around with a grin.

**January 27th**

_Shizu-chan being less of a brute than usual._

"Ha ha, fuck you too flea," the blond announced, grabbing the flea´s pencil.

"Just you wait-"

"Ah don't ruin it!" Izaya threw in, but that wasn´t Shizuo´s intention in the first place. After all he knew why Izaya wrote it like this, why he did everything like this.

Keeping still the raven watched how the pencil moves across the paper

**January 30th**

_Izaya being less of a flea than usual._

"Aw, how nice of you," the raven chuckled, wanting to take the pencil back for the blond again, but the blond hesitated for a second.

"Wait, one more thing." Moving back up to the dates before the two met he put the pencil back on the paper.

**January 25th**

_Kasuka._

"I guess that not something happy but, you know-" Shizuo mumbled fading out at the end, but Izaya shook his head right away to deny whatever Shizuo was going to say.

"No, it's fine." receiving the pencil again he too moved further up on the calendar, farther than the blond had.

**January 2nd**

_Kururi_

**January 24th**

_Mairu_

"We still have happy memories of them, don't we?" the raven said softly, a smile on his face despite the tragedy those dates carried. And Shizuo couldn't help but agree with the flea with the same soft smile.

"True."

**To be continued~**

**xD now if this wasn't sweet then I dunno what would be xDD but hey, we are not done with the sweetness yet, oh god no ohohohoho There is much more fluff to come C: xD and more touchy feely stuff daw xD Be prepared for some heavy squealing for at least 4 more chapters xD And hey, it will get better and better and better until the story hits a point that will just make you die from squealing lmao**

**Nah plz don´t die but yeah xD**

**The next chapter will be up in 14 days C: So- 8thJune if I counted right xD That´s during my exam time though, so I can´t guarantee it will be up on that day x'D please forgive me if I end up being a tiny winy bit late xD**

**And last but not least, entirely off topic-**

_**HELP** _

**Is there anyone who owns reptiles? The thing is I got two fat tail geckos (Hemitheconyx caudicinctus) on Monday, and I have no idea what I´m doing xD well not actually no idea, I did prepare everything they need and stuff, I got a glass terrarium 120x50x50, at the hottest spot 36,6°C and on the coolest spot 21,4°C and between 54-72% humidity depending on how often I spray it. The problem is that they don´t eat anything. I tried offering them their usual food but they refuse to eat ;-; They literally look at the crickets like "yo dude, what´s that? You think I will eat it? nah-" and turn away xD I read on the internet that that´s normal since they just moved and shit, but I still can't help but worry about my sweethearts -cries- it´s been 4 days now, how long do I have to wait? They are only chilling in the cave below the light so far xD tho I did see Luigi peak out of it here and there.**

**I would really love if someone could give me some tips on what I should do or be careful about or if I'm doing something wrong x'D whelp -freaks out-**

**PS.: The guy who got me the geckos didn't know much about them, he kept comparing them to leopard geckos, so- xDD I´m kinda not really trusting that C':**

**Well then, see you in 14 days~! xD**

PPS.: I actually am almost done drawing the first page of my doujinshie x'DD Lol totally didn´t take a month or two nooo - anyway, I am uploading everything on tapas recently xD it´s easier than inserting pictures on AO3 lmao- Just google "Tapas Shirohimesstories" and I should be the top result xD

Oh btw, talking about it, I changed my name from Shirohime´s-Shizayastories, to Shirohimesstories because I will be uploading some other pairing fics soonish C: xD -coughs- might be an avenger fic -coughs- Shizaya is still the OTP tho no worries xDDDDD


	26. -๑-๑ஜ ๑-Sleeping time -๑ஜ ๑-๑-

 

**-Izaya´s point of view.-**

"Now~! Let´s top sulking around and do something nice," the raven grinned all of a sudden and clapped his hands together. Curious the blond raised an eyebrow as he took the last bite of his meal.

"Something... nice?" he repeated, wondering just what the flea was planning next.

"Well, we are surrounded by books," the raven purred, "Wanna read something?" The blond snorted amused.

"I don't like reading that much."

"Daw, too bad, for me this is heaven." It was then that a sudden sound reached their ears. Loud and disturbing it cut through the silence.

It was a car siren.

They knew why it turned on.

One of the ... _things_ probably slammed into it or jumped on top.

The all too cheerful smile Izaya had worn dropped almost instantly at the noise and his worried eyes glanced to the window. The sun was barely setting, but considering the long shadows it was casting the creatures had all the space they needed to come out already.

"... that night on the tree," Shizuo suddenly mumbled making the raven twist his head anew.

"Before that," he continued while getting up and walking over to the said window. The bookshelf in front of it had already been moved, blocking half the view of the window.

"And yesterday," pushing at one side the shelf creaked in protest as it slowly but surely blocked the rest of the window. Darkness was enveloping the library way too quick and Izaya flicked the lighter on, burning some candles that he had gathered during the day.

"We were pretty damn lucky weren´t we...?" Shizuo finished, looking at Izaya with somewhat worried but also glad eyes- a bitter smile was on his face too. The raven couldn't help but mimic the expression.

They hadn't known about the fast and strong zombies. Maybe they didn't exist yet in the first place but the possibility was unlikely.

"... yeah, guess we escaped death more often than we thought..." the raven agreed, letting his hands curl around one of the white cylindrical candles. He had lit three of them. Giving off enough light to illuminate the room, but not enough to drive away the goose bumps traveling down Izaya's back at the noises from outside that slowly started to get louder.

The siren was still howling, not exactly keeping the creatures away.

A touch to his shoulder made the raven flinch heavily- it was just Shizu-chan though. He hadn't noticed he walked over, his stare just being fixated on the dancing shadows around them.

"Come on, you should lay down, rest up. I will stay awake and keep watch." Izaya trusted Shizu-chan, he really did, but just the prospect of even trying to sleep while these creatures were rummaging through the city almost seemed insane to him.

He knew they were safe inside this library that wasn't even the problem.

They were safe here.

In this small little space. With just one entrance, blocked by the shelf. He knew it was too heavy to be moved by anyone but Shizu-chan, not to mention that the sunlight the next day promised was going to shun away any creatures waiting for them outside.

Maybe he was overlooking something, but his guts told him they were safe here for once. And yet-

Putting the candle he was holding inside a small plate the raven walked over to the couch.

Light flickering, he laid down, feeling comfortable, but yet... anxious. He knew Shizu-chan´s request was the smartest option to take.

He should rest up, let his wounds heal- if just that were such an easy thing to do.

Feeling the couch shift he watched the blond come into the light, making himself comfortable on the couch as well.

Laying on his side he leaned on his elbow to look at the raven.

…

A minute of silence passed and Izaya wondered if maybe the blond was going to talk some more, or ask him anything, but that wasn't the case.

"And now?" Izaya questioned finally, hating the silence that surrounded them.

"Sleep?" the blond suggested again as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

A snort escaped the raven's lips- Shizu-chan hadn't changed his mind alright.

"You think I can really just sleep like that?"

Here, in this room? When he could very well hear all these creatures rummaging around the city? Hell he didn't even know how many they were- what if they were too many? What if they gathered up on them? What if they got in here? What if-

"You should sleep. I will stay up the night to watch." Sighing heavily the raven let his eyes slip shut for just a second before he aimed a soft glare at the blond.

"You should sleep more too, Shizu-chan. In fact I think you need more rest than I do, so-"

"I will sleep tomorrow morning, how about that? It will be light and you will work on the miracle."

…

Almost pouting the raven turned around with a sigh. Should he argue with the blond? Maybe just wait till the man fell asleep all by himself- yeah that would be a great option to take.

As if he had read the raven´s thoughts the blond sighed as well.

"Come on flea, you seriously need the rest. If you end up overdoing it who will save this freaking planet, hm?" Snorting the raven raised an eyebrow and turned to face the blond once more.

"You seem to have an awful lot of trust in me." Saying it like that- Shizu-chan made it sound as if Izaya already had the cure and tomorrow everything was going to return to normal again. Then again- he didn't dislike that way of thinking. If anything he preferred it over the desperate Shizu-chan he had seen before. Already giving up on finding anything but a way to survive and make life worth living.

"Well, who else is smart like you?" Shizuo commented, making the raven blink surprised.

"Woah, Shizu-chan, careful, that sounded like a compliment just now." A snort followed.

"It was. We both know how smart you are."

…

Okay this was definitely a weird situation right there. Or rather a weird sensation. This was the first time Shizu-chan actually complimented him- not that it was that odd anymore- after everything they had been through there were many more things to be amazed about, but somehow hearing the blond say something like that all of a sudden caught him off guard.

Made him feel… he didn´t know. Made him feel _something_.

"You know it and still expect me to just sleep when these things could kill us?" he replied quickly, reverting back to the initial topic of their little conversation.

But the blond didn't seem to be in the mood anymore to discuss with the flea, because suddenly there was a pillow shoved right in the raven´s face.

"Come on, just close your eyes. I will watch you until you fall asleep." Shoving the fluffy silencer out of the way the raven put on a mocking expression.

"Creepy hobby you have there Shizu-chan~" Annoying the brute seemed like the best option to take to get what he wanted-

But Shizuo just quirked an eyebrow at the attempted mockery.

"How long are you going to be difficult?"

Too bad Shizu-chan wasn't going to catch the bait this time.

Slipping his eyes shut with a groan the raven decided he would just stick with his first plan. Pretend to sleep until the blond was the one resting peacefully.

Blackness surrounded him- though he was way too aware of all the sounds around him as to even relish in the soothing darkness. It was when he heard another car siren, closer this time, go off that his eyes unwillingly snapped open again.

"No keep them shut. Can't you even follow simple orders?" the blond mumbled, half joking, half serious.

… Izaya had slept in the car. He knew that much, he had been able to sleep there because despite the creatures being there he thought there might only be one or two more- but after he knew just how many were running around outside there was no way he would be able to sleep with closed eyes.

Now that he knew there were more and more of these things his throat just felt constricted at the sole thought.

It was when a palm made its way over to his head, softly patting against his black hair, that he noticed he had been staring at the window.

"Sleep," the blond mumbled quietly.

Shizuo knew Izaya was scared, even if he didn't want to show it and there was no way he was going to admit it if he asked him about it either, but he was.

The way he trembled and almost panicked at the sight of that thing in the pharmacy they visited was burnt way too well into Shizuo's mind.

Izaya was afraid. And that knowledge made him only feel that much more pissed off at all these bastards running around.

For a moment the blond thought Izaya was going to shove his hand away, or ask him what the fuck he was doing- but somehow- Izaya didn't even have an answer to that question. He just felt like it- wanted Izaya to calm down, rest, get well, be happy ahh he didn´t know. Something along those lines.

Having his eyes closed now the raven took in every sound that possibly reached his ears. The knocks from outside, the car siren, but also the crickets starting to do some cricketing.

Back in the old days that kind of noise used to annoy him- there was a reason he was living so high up in an apartment complex after all.

But now, when all the other sounds were doing nothing but make his anxiety grow, he was glad they were there.

Just doing their mating work, trying to be loudest, to be the best to get a chance to multiply.

A sudden noise made him snap out of his thoughts again and his eyes shoot back open-

Where it was... _light_?

What-?

Confused the raven looked around him, Shizu-chan wasn't next to him on the couch anymore- the bookshelf was already moved away from the window, the sun gleaming in brightly.

Blinking a couple times the raven pushed himself up from the couch, noticing that instead of hurting worse his wounds seemingly had decided to finally do their job and heal a bit as the pain had actually decreased.

"Morning, flea." Snapping his head towards one of the tables he spotted Shizuo there, just chilling on the table and… reading?

It took a few seconds for the confused raven to understand that it really was already morning again-

Disbelieving he looked at the blond, then down his body, the sheets that he had obviously claimed all for himself over the night being tangled between his legs and the familiar warmth spreading from the cheek he had been laying on, on the pillow.

"Did I fall asleep-?" He couldn't believe it-

"I would say instantly too," the blond chuckled, obviously amused by how confused the raven looked. His hair was standing up in all directions and soft patterns of the pillow were visible on his cheek.

"Fucking hell," the raven groaned in disbelief letting himself slump back into the bed. He couldn't believe he seriously fell asleep- if anything he had expected Shizu-chan to nod off on him, but the other way round?

Only soft chuckles reached his ears, approaching the makeshift bed pretty quickly.

"Just proves how tired you were." Letting himself slump back into the cushion the raven hummed, this time not really able to prove the blond wrong. He knew he was right after all.

The tension that had burdened his body had left and the pain he had felt and fatigue had decreased considerably as well. Moreover-

Nothing happened all night long. That meant they really didn´t get in here, right?

Lifting his head to inspect his surroundings he noticed the blond had sat down on the end of the couch. A book was resting in Shizu-chan´s lap, making the flea blink.

"What are you doing there?" A bit confused by the question the blond looked up from his book.

"Me?" he asked, glancing at the book and back to the raven, "Reading?"

"Monsters can read?" the raven snorted actually surprised to see the blond doing something so… civilized. Sure he knew Shizu-han wasn't just strength and violence, but seeing him reading a book docile like this was an entirely different matter after all.

It kind clashed with the image head of the blond.

"Hey I´m not that stupid," the blond complained though he obviously wasn't really annoyed over the little joke. "Besides there wasn't much else to do while you slept."

"Did you read the whole night?" Izaya questioned further, letting his fingers trail through his hair to fix the mess.

"Yep, went over to the window a couple times too to make sure nothing is crawling up on us." The very vivid image of one of the creatures possibly crawling up the wall and coming in through the window made the raven shudder.

"And?" he asked, swallowing dreadful.

"Nothing, they had no idea we are here. Just ran through the streets- I heard one run along the hallway, but it didn't even stop at our room." releasing the breath he didn't realize he had held the raven sat up on the couch.

They were really safe here then, weren't they?

Letting his eyes trail over to the desk he had prepared yesterday he spotted countless of interesting books and chemical equipment.

Feeling the motivation grab him he pushed himself off the couch walking right towards it.

"Then it's your turn to sleep now, Shizu-chan," the raven announced, taking a seat at his makeshift mini laboratory.

The blond almost seemed like he wanted to protest, but as he watched Izaya take his seat at the desk he seemed to realize that he was going to work on the antidote.

"Alright," he shrugged, taking the place Izaya had occupied.

To be honest right now he wasn't tired at all. If anything then he had been at night, but now?

Now he was actually curious what the raven was doing there- he wanted to watch even though it was probably going to be boring and having the flea explain to him what he was doing would probably just end up in confusing him and making him feel like an idiot.

Sleep was probably the best option he had at hand for now.

Rolling on his side, facing away from the flea he sighed before letting his eyes slip shut.

Would Izaya really be able to create the antidote? or some kind of solution? He wondered about it.

If… if he really did, wouldn't everything turn back to normal again? Of course the people that they lost, that died, wouldn´t return back to life, but apart from that-...

Shizuo almost had to smile at the possibility of simply walking through the streets of Ikebukuro again. He wouldn't even mind having to fight, or having to chase the louse out of his city- …

Chase him, huh? He had a feeling he would still chase Izaya, but that kind of chase wouldn't have anywhere near a threatening character anymore.

If anything it would be a game to him like it had always been to Izaya. Sure Izaya would probably pull some bullshit on him to annoy him and he would get mad for sure, but at the end of the day he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to hate the flea anymore like he used to.

Not after everything that happened.

Hearing some instruments click behind his back the blond turned around to the other side, facing the flea again.

"Ne Izaya," he mumbled as his eyes searched for the all too familiar raven. He had expected the flea to be reading or maybe writing something down, maybe pour some fancy liquid into another fancy bottle making it change colors or some shit like that- he knew that wasn't how science worked but well what was he supposed to expect?

Instead however, Izaya was just sitting there, with his head in his hands.

Almost seemed like he was frustrated.

The pipette he had filled with the zombie´s blood was laying next to him poured into a dish. Gross and dark it was lurking there, grossing Shizuo out a bit, but right now his attention was on Izaya anyway.

"Izaya?"

Lifting his head off the bed he tried to see more of the raven. He looked troubled.

"Did you forget the antidote recipe or something?" he tried, but Izaya didn't reply anything, no the opposite he just kept his head low resting in his palms as he softly shook his head.

Shizuo´s earlier happy mood disappeared as he figured that maybe Izaya had just realized they were never going to be able to create the antidote after all…

… that meant no good old Ikebukuro. No walks, no safety in sight. The blond tried to not show the disappointment and hope he was losing.

"Hey, it's okay you have all the time in the world, you are so smart I bet you will figure something out," the blond tried to assure the raven but he didn't seem all too convinced by his words.

"It's no use Shizu-chan," almost choked the words left the flea´s lips- wait, was the flea crying? Really?

"What, why?" the blond mumbled feeling as though something tugged at his chest as he got up from the couch again.

"I messed up…" the flea was still just hiding his face in his palms, it really tugged at the blond´s heart somewhat. He wasn't used to see Izaya like this. Not when usually it was Izaya that kept his hopes up no matter what.

"Hey it´s gonna be alright, even if you don't find an antidote, I mean, we aren't alone right?" Shizuo tried, hoping that at least with his words he could somehow cheer the raven up again. Izaya lifted his head and the blond smiled, for a second thinking he might have succeeded in cheering the sad flea up- but no.

God no.

The blood in Shizuo's veins froze and all of a sudden his breath got stuck in his throat.

Izaya looked at him.

The dish on the table containing the zombie´s blood- it wasn't the only thing smeared with it.

"Shizu-chan I- I messed up-"

Eyes, eyes were looking at him, clear- _very clear_ but slowly starting to glass over.

White- glassy his eyes were starting to cloud up-

His eyes-

No.

No, no, n-

The blond took a step back stumbling over a couple books placed behind him, the ground hit him hard but he couldn't tear his stare away- this was Izaya.- Izaya couldn't be- it couldn´t-

Panic gripped his throat in a way that rendered him unable to breathe.

Izaya moved, approached him, that grin he always wore taking on a disgusting expression as he grit his teeth, all former familiarity gone. And all of a sudden there was just a growl bubbling from Izaya's throat.

Izaya-

No-

Panic was making the blond freeze up, he couldn't move, he could only stare- Izaya couldn't be- no. Izaya couldn't be one of them- no he just he couldn´t be-

A harsh sting made him blink as his sight started to get blurry-

"Izaya- oi, it's me-" Izaya didn't stop. The blond felt like he was choking.

He was-

A jerk rushed through his body and he shot up from the ground - except-

… what?

He wasn't on the floor anymore…?

Heavy, shuddering gulps of breath were taken, making him swallow hard as he twisted his head- towards the desk.

Where Izaya was sitting.

Izaya-

The normal Izaya. His Izaya, no zombified Izaya, just the good old Izaya seemingly concentrating on whatever he was writing there. And Shizuo wasn't in front of the desk anymore either, no, he was back on the couch.

On the bed- where he had laid down to sleep-

To…

"Fuck-" quietly the word left his lips as he let his fingers comb through his blond hair.

It was a dream-

It had just been a nightmare.

He thought- For a moment he really thought-

Fucking hell-

He swallowed trying to get his mind back on track but somehow he couldn't swallow the lump in the back of his throat. The very familiar sting in his eyes didn't leave either as he could just sit there for a second trying to get his emotions back in control.

"Shizu-chan?" quickly wiping at his eyes he let himself slump back into the bed with a groan, "You woke me up flea," he announced, pressing his face into the pillow to hide anything the raven wasn't supposed to see.

The raven blinked, wondering for a second just what he could have woken the blond up with. He was only writing down the information he gathered and developing a good structured plan on how he was going to work on the procedure of the antidote.

"Seriously? Sorry about that," he apologized, couldn't help but stifle a chuckle though at the way the blond hid in the pillows. It seemed kinda cute, reminded him of his siblings when they didn't want to go to school early in the morning. "I thought you were awake because I saw you move."

Soft movement indicating the shaking of Shizu-chan's head answered the raven, making him figure that Shizu-chan wanted to sleep some more.

Sleep…. Hah..

Trying to chase away the panic he had felt in the dream, Shizuo turned away from the raven, trying to take some deep and slow breaths of air.

It was just a dream. Just a stupid dream.

The blond felt almost nauseous like someone had just turned his guts upside down.

The way too vivid picture of a zombified Izaya was still carved into his mind and the fact that he couldn't say for sure this wouldn't happen at some point was only terrifying him more.

Just imagining that Izaya could be gone, dead, yet alive, just like that, it was literally suffocating him.

Wiping the wet traitors off his face he tried to relax once more, forget what he dreamt, maybe if he fell asleep once more he would dream something nice instead.

He was supposed to sleep after all.

But no matter what he did he just couldn't seem to calm down enough to actually drift off. Maybe it was the anxiety reminding him that something might happen to Izaya while he was sleeping again- just like it did in the hospital- if he hadn't been asleep Izaya wouldn't have gotten attacked. He would have busted the creature´s head in before it would have been able to touch the flea.

But like this… the immense guilt and sheer panic he had felt at that time was carved into his core. And now after dreaming this sort of thing, he doubted he was ever going to sleep again.

And so instead of sleeping he settled on watching Izaya do his thing. He turned around again, facing the flea, who was all too immersed in whatever he was doing there. Izaya didn't even notice the blond was watching him, as he tinkered around with some pipettes.

most of the time he was just writing though, dragging that ink pen he had found across a piece of paper.

Watching the flea like that… it was soothing. He was just doing his work, nothing was rushing them nothing was attacking them, just, it was so peaceful. Way more peaceful than his dream.

Hearing a clicking noise the blond blinked as he watched the raven get up from the desk and stretch himself.

"Now we have to wait," he announced, more to himself than to anyone else as he obviously hadn't yet noticed Shizuo was watching him.

"Wait for what?" the blond questioned, clearing his throat as the words came out a bit raspy. Pausing in his movement the raven glanced over, looking at the man.

"You are awake?"

"Just woke up," Shizuo lied, looking curiously at the desk, "So what are we waiting for?" he repeated his earlier question making the raven grin.

"I´m analyzing the zombie blood first before I´m going to experiment with it. One of the things I´m waiting for is for the DNA to loosen itself off the sample for example." Confused the blond looked at the desk, then back at the raven. The DNA?

"... okay?" the blond mumbled, not really getting what the flea was even doing, but then again he already suspected he wouldn't get shit.

"Anyway that will take a couple hours," the raven informed with a chuckle walking over to the bookshelf.

A few hours?

"And what do we do till then...?"

"Oh no worries, I already have an idea~!"

**To be continued~ C:**

**Lol any ideas what the flea will do? xD I'm really curious ahahaha- guess my people~! xD I´m really curious what your ideas are C: ohohoooh xD**

**The next update will be coming out on 21stJuly2017 C: Sorry xD I´m having all my exams and then I´m flying to Bulgaria xD See chu~! C:**

 


	27. ๑-๑ஜ ๑- You´re the wolf, Shizu-chan -๑ஜ ๑-๑-

 

**-Izaya´s point of view.-**

"Shizu-chan I want to play theatre!" … blinking the blond gaped at the raven for a second until a very intelligent "... what?" slipped off his lips.

The raven grinned obviously having expected that kind of response already anyway and shuffled over to that one single bookshelf that still actually contained books.

"Theatre! Or Improved theater if you may~" the raven explained further only confusing the blond even more. Of all the things he could have thought of… this? He expected Izaya to start playing some kind of weird game, maybe even draw or tell weird stories about whatever- but this? Seriously?

Watching the raven pick out one of the books he had been searching for he walked over.

"We don't even have requisites," the blond informed wondering whether he was supposed to hate or like the idea of doing something childish like this.

"That´s the point of Impro, you don't need any particular requisites~" Izaya rambled on, flipping the pages inside the book with a hum.

"You are joking right?" the blond asked, deciding that he didn't like the idea. The raven didn't seem to care at all though as he stopped at one of the pages he had discovered and grinned.

"Do I look like it?"

"No."

He certainly didn´t.

"Come on it will be fun!" Izaya repeated shutting the book close again as he walked back over.

...

Fun, huh?

Well Shizuo couldn't deny the flea had the odd ability to enjoy himself no matter how fucked up their surroundings were- and surprisingly he managed to amuse him as well at times. He had no idea how Izaya even managed to stay this freaking positive- maybe it was because he had had a good night's sleep today?

Frowning just the slightest Shizuo remembered his own fucked up dream deeming tonight as one of the worst nights he had ever had. After seeing all this fucked up shit he wasn't in the mood to play anything at all with the flea… but then again….

… maybe it would cheer him up? Cause the horrifying image of a zombified Izaya to disappear?

With a sigh the blond decided to just let the raven do as he pleased.

"Okay, so what do you have in mind?" The grin Izaya was wearing should already have given away just how silly this was going to be.

"How about Cinderella~?" Raising an eyebrow at the raven the blond frowned.

"You are fucking kidding. A Fairy Tale? Seriously?"

Of all the things Izaya could have chosen- Shizuo expected the flea to choose something old and special, like… he didn´t know, maybe Hamlet, Shakespeare or something like that? maybe even something entirely fucked up, a story where everyone died or shit like that. But a Fairy tale?

"Yes~ You are Cinderella of course," the raven informed, the grin not once slipping off his face. Shizuo didn't need to be a genius to figure that the raven´s imagination of him playing a freaking princess would amuse Izaya and equally annoy the hell out of Shizuo- which was probably why he suggested it in the first place, that little flea.

"How the heck am I supposed to play a girl?" Shizuo groaned, deciding to do Izaya the favor.

"Shizu-chan use your brain. You need something called imagination for it, I do think you have at least that ability."

"Hey what's with the at least?"

"Just try it!" the raven crossed his arms tilting his head thinking, "For example, if you are the princess, and the stepmother doesn't want you to go and sort the beans instead, what do you do?"

Seriously?

"Bash her face in and go." A blink followed then a snort from the raven's part.

"No, Shizu-chan you are a nice little girl, you have to say, yes mother, and do as she says!" he informed but the blond just shrugged.

"So what, if I were Cinderella I would take those beans shove them in her face and tell her to choke on them." Izaya couldn't help but laugh at the response. It was just so… like Shizu-chan.

"Pretty violent princess," he commented already anticipating the moment they were going to start actually playing. To be completely honest he had thought Shizu-chan would just straight out say no to his suggestion, but hey, he surprised him again~

"You said I had to be her. If I were a girl that´s being treated like shit I would bash her face in, even if I´m Cinderella."

Certainly. Even if he was Cinderella- Shizu-chan as a girl?

Izaya doubted he or rather "she" would be any less violent than the Shizu-chan he was now. And he wasn't even starting about the temper there. A Shizu-chan version of Cinderella would probably be about a girl that accidentally beat everyone into hospital and made a living on her own without needing any shitty prince to save her.

"... interesting approach. Though I thought you don't hit girls?" Izaya remarked, remembering quite well that he had never seen or heard of Shizu-chan hurting any women. The blond just shrugged his argument off though.

"But I´m a girl too so that´s okay."

Somehow Izaya couldn't help but think Shizu-chan as a woman would be the kind of girl that everyone feared but had secretly wet dreams about. Confidence was something the blond had in spades as well and what was more attractive than a strong, beautiful and self confident woman?

"Bad character choice on my part I guess-" the raven said shaking his head to get rid of a pretty disturbing crossover image popping up inside his head. "How about, Red riding hood?"

Izaya could literally see how Shizuo's face transformed into a questioning, then annoyed and then confused expression.

"I'm the wolf?" Shizu-chan asked, making the raven nod in agreement.

"It should be more to your taste I suppose?" tilting his head slightly the raven watched as the confused expression on Shizu-chan´s face increased. What was he wondering about?

"I guess that's okay, but who is the grandma and red riding hood?"

Ah- so that´s what it was.

"Well me obviously since you have to eat me," the raven grinned, already getting excited for the little fun play. Izaya would never admit it, but as a kid he really liked to play all kinds of roles. Just improvise them, act like someone from a book or from a movie- then he started acting like people he knew just because it was interesting. He had to pay close attention to everyone's behaviors to be able to copy them- maybe that´s why he got so interested in humans in the first place, who knows?

Even up to this day he used to sometimes re-act events that took place or conversations he had had, and may it just be for better memorization of the context and information he got. Namie used to spare him quite the annoyed glances when he started one of his monologues in his swivel chair.

"Wait, you are playing two roles?" Shizu-chan asked, making the raven snort.

"It´s called multitasking Shizu-chan." Sometimes Izaya wondered if Shizuo ever talked to himself. Probably not, he might get annoyed by his own conversations. "Besides I just wanna play the interesting parts," the raven informed, letting himself slump down on the couch.

The blond blinked a bit surprised.

"So we are not doing the whole thing?" Shizuo had thought for sure Izaya was going to make him act the entire story.

"Nope, let's start with the scene were the wolf eats the red riding hood~!"

A blink followed, then a snort- Izaya frowned a tiny little bit, was the blond actually laughing at him?

"Of course that's your favorite," Shizu-chan commented, making the raven get a tiny bit defensive.

"What?" he asked, "I bet tons of children love that moment!" The blond rose an eyebrow. the scene when the poor grandmother and red riding hood get eaten? From what he remembered children always screamed no at those parts. Of course Izaya wouldn't be like all the other children though.

"I believe they might like the part of them being freed more," he threw in, making the flea roll his eyes.

"Well I didn´t." Somehow the imagine of one single kid sitting on the front row of a theatre grinning like Izaya used to do it while all other children were crying and screaming struck Shizuo's mind and he couldn't help but laugh.

"You aren't exactly the most sane person I know though."

The raven just shrugged his shoulders.

"What makes you say that?"

"We are playing a theater show of Fairy tales in a zombie apocalypse."

Ah…

The raven glanced around the room, avoiding the blond´s eyes for a second.

"... Well, I guess you do have a point." Setting up his best grin he clapped his hands together.

"Anyway, you are the grand- I mean the wolf pretending to be the grandmother, so get in the bed~" he announced, pointing at the couch they both had slept on. Twisting his head the blond glanced at it. He didn't seem too convinced.

"That's not even a real bed," the monster complained and Izaya had to roll his eyes. Seriously.

"Geez just lie back on that couch Shizu-chan, really now." Slowly but surely he was getting the feeling they weren't going to start playing like he wanted them to anytime soon.

Letting himself slump down on it the blond glanced at the ceiling, rolled over, then looked at the raven.

"Pretty uncomfortable for an old lady don't you think?" The Raven groaned.

"You are the wolf!"

"Pretending to be the grandma." Biting his tongue on another remark the raven decided that he would probably get what he wanted easier if he just played along.

"Forget it, how about we play the part where the wolf eats the grandma? I will be laying down and you run around," he suggested, figuring the blond couldn't complain about anything then.

Shrugging the blond pushed himself off the couch again and walked over to the bookshelf.

"It´s your play you know, I don't really care."

Finally having gotten what he wanted the raven cleared his throat while he let himself slump down on the grandmother's bed.

"Okay let's start~!"

…

A few seconds of silence followed and the raven looked at the blond.

"You are supposed to knock Shizu-chan."

"Oh-" the blond responded intelligently, knocking on the bookshelf next to him.

"Red riding hood, is that you?" Izaya asked in a creaky voice, which he imagined the grandmother might have talked with, but oh he only earned a snort for that.

"You suck flea." Ignoring the comment with a slight frown the raven went on.

"What are you talking about? What flea? I´m just an old grandmother waiting for her grandchild."

"The granny doesn´t know that red riding hood is coming in the story." Sighing the raven sat up on the bed.

"You are no fun Shizu-chan." Izaya declared guessing this was the end of their play. This wasn't going to work out at all. Should have expected it.

The blond was still standing next to the bookshelf- and to be honest, now he almost felt guilty, the flea had looked so happy over this childish little game. He hadn't really intended to ruin his fun.

Taking a step back he knocked against the shelf once more.

"It´s me grandmother, the big evil wolf," he announced, trying to imitate a girl voice, which was pretty damn difficult and probably sounded shitty anyway. The flea was grinning already.

"Shizu-chan the wolf does not announce himself-" blinking the blond looked at the flea.

The wolf- oh.

Oups he had said he was the wolf right? Ruffling through his hair the blond groaned.

"Ah, bloody hell don't confuse me- It's me grandma, red riding hood," he tried again, this time saying the right text. Quickly the flea let himself slump back into the "bed".

"Come in sweetheart~" Now it was the blond´s turn to laugh.

"Seriously? Sweetheart?"

"Shh It's called improvising!" the flea informed with a quiet hiss as if he didn't want any audience to hear them.

There was no one anyway so it really sort of amused the blond. They were only doing this for themselves, right?

"Can't we skip to the part where the wolf eats red riding hood after all?" the blond suggested, making the raven's expression grow just a tiny little bit irritated. He had to say that expression wasn't even bad to look at.

"Huh, why?" Izaya complained.

"Well, that´s what´s your favorite in the first place isn´t it?"

"Can you make up your mind?" the raven mumbled with a sigh, getting out of the bed again.

"I just did."

"Okay, then there you go." Glancing at the flea and then the bed again the blond rose an eyebrow.

"I have to lay down?"

"Yes, Shizu-chan, you are the wolf, come on get in the _bed_ ," Izaya grinned, patting on the couch.

"You are enjoying this aren´t you?" Shizuo asked, while doing as he was told.

"Way too much," the raven agreed, getting to order Shizu-chan around wasn't something he was able to do every day.

Getting into position he cleared his throat once more before knocking at the shelf.

_***Knock knock*** _

"It´s me, grandmother~!" the raven chirped, entering the room with the sweetest smile he could manage on his lips.

"Red riding hood?" the blond mumbled to Izaya's satisfaction, even trying to sound sleepy as if he, no, "she" just woke up. "Come in _sweetheart_ ~"

_Stealing phrases I see._

The raven thought to himself approaching the bed.

"Oh granny, why do you have such big ears?" the raven chirped, trying to sound shocked.

"So I can hear you better~" the blond replied with a grin that almost had an animalistic touch to it.

"Hear? But grandma just because you have big ears doesn't mean you hear better. It´s the sound waves that enter the ear canal and make the eardrum vibrate causing the ossiciles- malleus, incus and stapes to transfer the sound wave to membrane window of the cochlea and make the fluid inside move so the brain can analyze the sound that make you hear."

The face Shizu-chan made at that explanation was definitely worth it as the flea burst out laughing.

"What the fuck flea?" Trying to stop the wheezing the raven looked at the blond again who still seemed pretty damn puzzled.

"Your face was worth it-" Shaking his head the blond frowned.

"How do you even know that stuff?" Oh, he would like to know that wouldn't he?

"You might or might not believe it but some people possess a skill called reading. Makes you smarter, you should try it~" the raven purred, making the blond roll his eyes.

"Ha ha," he commented dryly.

"Anyway," Izaya said, clearing his throat once more as he reverted back to his serious acting mode.

"Oh granny, why do you have such huge eyes?" he asked with the most innocent expression he could manage.

"So I can see you better~" the blond hummed in response, making the flea grin and his expression form into a small frown, "if you say now that´s not true I will kick your ass," he informed, making the raven snort.

"What a violent grandmother."

"I´m the wolf," Shizuo pointed out, crossing his arms behind his back as he got more comfortable.

"Pretending to be the grandma." Snorting the blond looked at the raven. Hoh so he was being a smartass again, huh?

A grin spread over Shizu-chan´s face and the raven rose an eyebrow when he rolled on his side.

"Okay," the blond smiled at him with a smile that seemed more like he was some sort of predator than enjoying their little game. "then do go on, the wolf is waiting." if anything the grin on his lips looked as though the blond had something planned.

It was a pretty rare expression the raven hadn't quite seen on him so far. Somehow it stirred something inside him.

"So malicious all of a sudden?" the raven purred, feeling inclined to tease the blond some more. The grin didn't drop and instead it just grew wider at his question.

"Do say the last line, red riding hood~"

Hoh the blond seemed to be getting into it, he had something predatory to his smile.

The raven cleared his throat, way too curious to see just how this was going to unfold to just stop right there.

"Oh granny," he chirped, slowly, seeing a glint in the blond´s eyes. Almost provocating the blond leant forward some more and the raven finished his line. "why do you have such a huge mouth?"

"So that I can eat you better!" to be honest the flea had already sort of seen it coming, but when the blond´s hand suddenly grabbed him and pulled him on the bed he couldn't help but feel a squeak escape his throat. He tried to get away, laughter on his lips, but oh the blond was faster already having both his wrists trapped in a tight grip.

Suddenly they were flipped around and Izaya found himself trapped on the bed, the blond at his neck, actually biting him-

And just for a tiny second the raven felt as though he didn't even mind- hah, no that wasn´t even it, for the blink of an eye he felt something that he was not actually willing to decipher and he pushed at the blond with nervous laughter.

"What are you doing? Eating me alive?" the words bubbled from his lips real quick, still laughing awkwardly as the blond backed off.

"You should have seen it coming flea," the blond mumbled a smile on his lips as well as he backed off, moving up just the slightest bit- and for a second he just sort of froze.

Nothing had changed, nothing was putting him of and Izaya didn't do anything to cause hi brain to just shut off for a second.

Shizuo had only grabbed his wrist, he was pinning him down, like he expected a wolf would when trying to eat his prey and yet somehow now that he looked at the flea trapped underneath him like this he couldn't help but be mesmerized by the sight.

Sure the flea was still not really looking the best these days, having lost some weight and being covered in bandages and yet he had something to him that made the blond go crazy for a second. thoughts invaded his mind that seriously didn't belong there right now and he pushed himself up again.

Laughter filled his ears within a second before he could start to wonder about what the hell he had just been thinking about there was suddenly a pillow shoved into his face making him squeeze his eyes shut in surprise.

"What the-"

"You should see your face Shizu-chan," Izaya wheezed, laughing so hard a tear drop started to form at the corner of his eye. "Did I catch you by surprise?" the raven snorted, making the blond throw the pillow right back at him.

"Oh sure, now who was the one that actually squeaked at being grabbed?" the blond asked, remembering quite well that he had heard a pretty funny noise escape the flea´s throat when he pulled him down.

"You surprised me!" the flea complained instantly, only making him grin more.

"Surprised my ass, you knew what was coming." Something like a pout crossed the raven´s expression and he let himself slump back into the sheets.

"Oh, did I? The wolf is supposed to eat me, not pull me into bed," he argued, thinking he was going to win the discussion with it, but he was wrong. the predatory smile on Shizu-chan´s face returned and he grinned at him.

"Well if you insist-"

"Wha-" the raven´s eyes widened, "No, no, no, no-" he repeated laughing awkwardly as he tried to get his wrists out of Shizu-chan s grip.

"What´s wrong? Caught~?" A snort escaped the raven´s lips and the blond backed off again, finally letting go of his wrists.

"Took you long enough to catch me." And then there was suddenly this feeling again. Something warm inside him. Making him feel cozy.

"Well, it's not easy to catch fleas."

He was almost feeling nostalgic at their little bicker. it had been so long since he could actually forget about everything that was happening outside. But here with the flea, in the library he felt as though everything was back to normal.

Except of course that he would have never been able to stay in the same library as Izaya without throwing every single bookshelf inside the building at him to get rid of the flea.

Sighing he rolled to the side letting himself slump down next to the raven on the makeshift bed.

Actually he missed those chases.

"Wanna run around the city?" blinking in surprise the blond titled his head to look at the raven. It wasn't Shizuo who had said the words but rather the flea, seeming as though he was thinking about the same thing.

"Do you have a fever or something?" the blond asked, letting his eyes slip shut with a sigh. "There are zombies everywhere now, just in case you forgot about that," he reminded the raven. But he didn't quite get the answer he wanted to hear.

"No, seriously," Izaya mumbled, turning towards the blond, "I was thinking about getting some fresh clothes, maybe look around for other useful things."

Humming the blond looked at the ceiling.

"Right, there are no zombies out there, are there?"

"I won't be relying on the fact but yeah, it seems we are pretty much alone there."

…

The idea didn't seem like a bad one actually. Sure they couldn't be entirely sure that there would still be no zombies outside, but from what they had seen the outside didn't look too bad actually. And yet-

"I´m not so happy you want to run around again already," the blond mumbled, looking at the raven´s waist. His shirt was riding up just the slightest bit revealing the bandages beneath it. "That shit needs to heal properly. What if, you overdo it and get a fever again? Or rip it open on accident?"

"Nah I won't get a fever. And besides it's not looking bad." Shoving up the rest of the shirt the raven tilted his head. "Want to see?" Without waiting for the answer the raven started undoing the bandages. "I need to change this anyway."

Remaining quiet the blond just watched the raven unwrap the bandage. Red and raw skin was starting to surface from underneath and then the last layer got unwrapped. To be honest Shizuo had so cringe a little bit at what a shitty job he had done.

Sure he had sewn Izaya shut, but from the way the stitches were looking this was going to become a huge scar…

"Despite your belief the stitches didn't actually rip open or anything when we crashed. I guess you sewed it up pretty damn good, ne?" Izaya continued, not really realizing how guilty Shizuo actually felt for the shitty job he did.

"Still, you already got a fever once, what if the temperature doesn't go down this time?" the blond threw in, not wanting for something like that to ever happen again.

Just the thought of zombies out there waiting for him was making him feel uneasy.

The raven looked up from wrapping himself with the fresh bandage and sighed.

"... okay then I will stay in this dimly lit coffin," he argued with sarcasm, tightening the bandages before tying them up with a knot.

it was only at the sarcasm that Shizuo started to notice that maybe Izaya wasn't exactly saying the truth.

"Hey, why do you really want to go outside so bad?" the words had slipped off his lips with more easy than he expected them to, making the flea blink at thim in surprise.

"What?"

"You wouldn't just run around sightseeing if it weren't for a good reason." Now that he spelled it out aloud that actually made sense.

…

Silence hovered over them for a second as the raven's lips remained shut. A sign that he had really hit the nail on the head.

"So?" he repeated. With a sigh the raven let himself slump back into the bed.

"I hate it when I don´t know my surroundings."

Gesturing towards the window the raven continued explaining.

"These things they are lurking around out there, right?" Turning back he looked at the blond again. "What if one day we end up, I don´t know, being trapped outside in the dark or, one of them comes in here or I don´t know-"

The raven faded out. But Shizuo understood anyway.

"We would have to run," he finished the sentence.

"Exactly, but this isn´t Ikebukuro or Shinjuku. We don't know the streets, the alleys, the pathways, we don´t know how to best escape whatever is following us."

… that actually made an awful lot of sense.

"That´s why I want to go out, so I can map out all the streets in my mind."

Izaya was worried. Well he couldn't blame him for it. Be it his justified fear of the fast zombies or just the danger in general waiting for them, what he said was true to a point it made the blond realize the raven was right.

"Okay," he sighed, not really liking the idea, but he knew Izaya was right.

"Okay?" the raven repeated, blinking at the one worded answer.

"We can go," the blond finished, a smile on his lips, "But I have one condition-"

**To be continued~**

**GAHHHHH IM SORRYYYYYYY -cries forever-**

I know I haven't been updating regularly TAT None of my stories actually -bows in apology

I don't even have a good excuse geez because the reason is fairly selfish x'D

Anyway peeps, **no worries xD**

First off: **I´m not dead, I didn't drop mah love for Shizaya, I didn't drop mah love for writing nor am I stopping any of my stories xD**

The reason I'm so late is because **I´m trying to fulfill a dream of mine** C':

You know peeps, I allllllways ever since I first started typing little stories on a keyboard when I was 8 years old, **dreamt of one day writing a book xD**

**My own book series to be precise C:**

I´m not sure whether it´s gonna be a trilogy or more books but the thing is I have been working on the plot since 5 years ago (holy fuck that long?!)- on a plot xD Of an original book C: no fanfiction, just me and mah old brain coming up with the most fucked up fantasy/love/friendship/mystery/adventure story I could think of xD

As some of you might know from various authors notes or stuff **I only started writing fanfiction stories in the first place because I wanted to train writing and get something like a writing style** before I start writing down the story I came up with C:

And over the course of time over those 5 years (Fucking long time omg) lots of you lovely wonderful encouraging cookies started gradually but surely saying not only nice things about my story but also mah writing itself xD Which is like the ultimate compliment for me gosh -squeals in joy at all those encouraging words- And I myself noticed too that my writing changed and it's way easier for me today to write and describe scenes than it was 5 years ago xD

And that grew and grew and you all encouraged me so much that by now **I finally gathered enough to confidence and experience to actually start writing my book C: xD** (lol after 5 years xD)

So to put it simple: **I started writing my book two weeks ago xD**

Now **I'm on chapter 5** with the whole shit **and got 19.481 words so far** x'D

I'm writing between 1000 and 2000 words a day, if not more because I wanna get it done before December C': Looking at the pace I´m going at, considering a book of 600 pages, counting roughly 300 words per page, roughly equals an amount of 150.000 words, **I should be done with the first book** of the story somewhere **between October the 8th** (earliest possible date lmao) **and** **December the 17th** (latest possible date) x'D -coughs- you might have noticed I like making plans and calculating shit lmao x'D -cough-

Anyway, So actually that´s the reason I'm so late with all the updates x'D C':

I´m so immersed in mah book´s world and shit and working on it all day there's barely any time left for ma precious shizaya -cries-

**I'm sorry for updating so sparingly** gah, but at least for today I got my ass up to finish at least a few updates for the shizaya x'D

**I also wanna update Bcd either today or tomorrow C': Imma give mah best xDD**

I hope you can forgive meh peeps -looks at you with puppy eyes- Imma try to get more shizaya stuff simultaneously done so I can update somewhat regularly at least again C:

If you are curious, **I´m updating the word counts of all the updates everyday on my profile on fanfiction . net** \- also the words count of my book if anyone is interested x'D

I will also give some heads up of when approximately I will be updating which story again C': So check it out haha xD

Also for all the worried cookies out there- you can see on the "profile updated:23h ago" that I´m very much alive and haven't forgotten everyone C':

Well then, I guess that´s everything for today- C': sowy again for the long ass delay TAT

**And back to sotd- next chapter is gonna be another load of cute fluff xDDDDDD and maybe some more things C: C: C: time to spice up the love in this story xDDDDDDD**

**See you~! C: 3 3 3**


	28. -๑-๑ஜ ๑- Growing closer -๑ஜ ๑-๑-

**-Izaya´s point of view.-**

"Go faster my horse~" okay, this had not been the best idea he had had yet-

"Oi, call me horse one more time and I will throw you off." Laughter reached his ears as he stepped over yet another pile of rubbish, the raven on his back laughing like crazy as he just kept amusing himself on his back.

That had been the condition- Izaya had to let himself be carried around by the blond.

In order for his injuries to not rip open and just a general sense of safety. Shizuo wouldn't admit it, but he was worried a great deal about the flea getting himself into danger again.

Like this he felt he could keep him safe at least.

To be honest he had expected way more objections to his request- that wasn't the case however.

Almost the opposite, Izaya seems to have quite the fun treating him like his new pet like this.

"Aw, should I call you Pony instead?" the raven teased again and the blond felt his fingertips on his shoulders again tickling him slightly. Stopping abruptly he couldn't help but grin at the way the fingers dug into his skin as the raven tried to keep his balance.

"Woah, okay, okay, I will stop."

Stifling a laugh the blond continued walking again, stepping onto the clear street now.

They had been right, no zombies seemed to be out on the streets. To be honest it was awfully quiet today, sunny and bright, it was almost something Shizuo would call a perfect day.

"I'm starting to regret I went out here with you," the blond snorted, feeling the raven wriggled around on his back. Seriously couldn't he stay still for just a minute?

"And I take more and more joy in being carried around by you~"

To be honest the idea of being carried around by Shizu-chan had sounded like the most stupid suggestion he ever heard. But now- seeing how much he was able to tease the blond like this it wasn't as bad as he had imagined. Letting his fingers knead through the blond hair again he ruffled through it, only to pause in surprise.

"Shizu-chan, did you know your roots are showing?" Before he hadn't quite noticed it, but now up close and from this angle, he could see the blond being terminated by brown growing from below.

"What?" Shizu-chan asked, even though he must have heard him well enough as the raven let his fingers trail through the blond´s hair again.

"I can see some brown there, when was the last time you dyed your hair?" considering the zombie apocalypse hasn't happened too long ago he must have had his last session sometime in December.

"I don't even remember to be honest." The raven snorted. Of course.

But he couldn't exactly blame the blond either.

Ever since this shitty virus spread the days had felt so long and the time had passed somewhat distorted, he even forgot the date they were supposed to have and that certainly was a great indicator for how messed up the days had been.

"Hmm, you wanna dye it?" the raven asked in thoughts, playing with one strain of hair as he twisted it between his fingertips.

The blond hummed.

Did he want to? What for actually? Shizuo dyed it in the first place just because he wanted some peace and scare stupid people off, but now-

Tom was dead. Kasuka was dead. Everyone they knew was probably either a zombie or dead. So what for? there were no gangs anymore watching out for him.

"Nah, I will let it grow out." Somehow he was feeling both, somewhat refreshed and yet sad. Sad because of all the memories, of the time his blond hair represented and of missing everyone including it. But then again… that kind of life wouldn't return again. And now, like this, with Izaya, he could have had it much worse-

"Hmm, well honestly speaking brown suits you better anyway," the raven mumbled, making him snap out of his thoughts and blink in surprise all the same.

"Did you just compliment me?"

"Ah, stop, stop, stop!" Surprised by the sudden outburst the blond did as told, his head snapping around wary for a second as he almost suspected one of the zombies to come charging at him- but no, everything was quiet.

"Izaya?" he asked, wondering what had made the raven ask him to halt in the first place.

"A coat!" Blinking the blond twisted his head to be able to look at the raven on his back. His hand was reaching forward, pointing to what seemed like a store.

A store for… clothes?

"It looks exactly like mine!"

Really, there was one- trimmed with fur, brown, long, just like the one izaya always wore- it looked pretty much like a copy of his own. Shizuo couldn't help but smile at the raven's unexpected outburst.

"You already got clothes flea, why get more?" he asked, wearing the grin all the way over to the shop as he stepped across the rubbish and broken pieces of glass- the window of the shop had been destroyed just like about pretty much every building they had seen so far.

Had it been the people who destroyed it or the creepy zombies at night, he had no idea, fact was they seemed to destroy whatever came in sight.

Feeling the raven slip off his body the blond crouched down the slightest bit trying to help the raven get down with more ease as he dashed over to the dressed mannequin.

The shop was facing the east and in these early morning hours it was lit with the safe light from the front to the back.

"Please Shizu-chan, this cheap fabric is making my skin feel all itchy, this is some high quality stuff~!" he explained answering his earlier question as he pulled the piece of cloth from the puppet. But it wasn't only this that he chose, there were also some shirts and pants nearby, not quite the ones he always wore, but black nonetheless.

Letting his eyes trail around the fabrics inside the shop the blond noted that it seemed like it had been one expensive outlet.

At least the clothes hanging here certainly looked that way- also there were no price tags on any of them, that sort of thing always annoyed him. Why not put the price there? Just because it was more expensive than other clothes?

Not that he would buy them, but running around and having to ask for the price seemed to be quite stupid.

Well not that they needed to pay anything at the moment.

Drawing his attention back to the flea he barely saw him pull of a pair of new pants. The shirt was already at hands and he lifted it- making the blond´s eyes involuntarily trail back to the wound he had patched up. He was torn between feeling guilty and proud for what he had done. He knew he had saved Izaya´s life, he really did, and yet he also felt responsible for it to have happened in the first place.

Reaching out for the uneven skin and he let his fingers brush across the fabric of the band aid-

Of course the action didn't go by unnoticed. The raven paused, having just pulled the shirt over his head and for a second he just looked at those worried eyes of Shizu-chan. He hadn't missed the way he looked at his injury and right now his attention was focused on it again, so much that he doubted the blond even realized what he was doing.

Quickly he pulled down the shirt, covering the wrapped up wounds as well as brushing of Shizu-chan´s hand simultaneously.

"Woah, Shizu-chan, checking me out aren't we?" the raven asked, snapping the blond out of his thoughts at the same time.

"What, no!" the blond instantly replied pulling the hand back.

Ah, there it was again, the frown he loved so much. Being annoyed or teased suited the blond way better than that worried crease.

"Daw, don´t be so shy Shizu-chan~ I know I'm hot~" the raven purred, purposely teasing the blond.

A snort followed and Izaya had to admit he was almost offended by the response.

The raven hummed, now that they were talking about the topic, he was somewhat curious.

He had never seen Shizu-chan with any kind of partner- well apart from the fact that he probably scared everyone off that might catch his interest he did wonder if there was someone the blond might have liked.

"What's your type Shizu-chan, I'm curious." Surprise was showing on the blond´s expression as he hadn´t seen that kind of question coming.

"What?" was the only response the raven got, only making it easier for the raven to tease the blond.

"Women, Shizu-chan," he grinned, slipping on the new coat he had found. "The busty creatures lacking a dick." Hoh, it really was the same kind as his old one, although it almost seemed like it was a tad fluffier at its ends.

Still flabbergasted beyond belief the blond rubbed the back of his neck.

"Uh, I don't know." Shizuo had never wasted a thought on that sort of topic- not to mention that he hadn't seen the question coming at all.

The raven hummed, not entirely surprised by the answer.

"You don´t know?"With all that rage and impulsive temper he wondered if the blond had ever felt something like love in the first place.

"Well how the heck do you even get a type? I have never even dated a girl." Okay, that response was ruling out the option of Shizu-chan describing any person he had met so far.

But there had to be at least some form of attraction, right? Shizu-chan was a man after all.

"Hmm then let's do a small game of 20 questions~!" this was getting pretty interesting real quick.

Shoving some clothes aside the raven took it upon himself to make room for a place to sit down onto as he crossed his legs, his eyes fixed on the blond in curiosity.

"A what?" the blond already had a feeling this game wasn't going to be to his liking. Well then again it was Izaya suggesting it so it just had to be fishy right from the start.

"Big boobs or small ones?" The blond couldn't help but snort right at the first question. "What?" How come Izaya could be so awfully blunt sometimes when he used to express himself with the fanciest words he didn't even know most of the time?

"I´m asking about appearance Shizu-chan." the raven repeated, rolling his eyes, "You like some huge-"

"No, not those kind of girls," the blond interrupted already knowing how this sentence was going to end. Making himself comfortable on a shelf opposite to Izaya he decided to play along for a while. A few weeks ago something like this would have been strange and awkward but right now didn't even mind. This was Izaya now- well it had been Izaya before as well, but he didn´t know how to describe it, right now he just felt like- he could tell the raven anything.

There was nothing to hide nothing to feel embarrassed for either. If anything he was strangely curious about where this whole topic was going to lead and what the flea was going to ask. "They look... cheap, kinda," he continued, figuring that the raven was waiting for some kind of reasoning as well. "And like they would run away when they see me."

The raven hummed, waging the options- sure not all, well let´s say well endowed women, were scared little princesses that would run from Shizu-chan- he himself knew quite a few that might even try and take the blond up instead, but he understood what the blond meant.

In his line of work and when he was collecting debts with Tom he probably met more than just a couple of "those" girls.

"So you need someone that´s not afraid of you. Someone sturdy," he reworded his statement instead, fitting more to the actual meaning of what Shizu-chan had intended to say.

"Sounds about right." A grin crossed the raven's expression for a second as he came up with an idea.

"Someone that wouldn´t mind your anger and could calm you down? Or just accept it when you have your moment?"

Someone that wouldn't mind his anger? Shizuo blinked, then let his eyes travel to the ceiling for a bit as he tried to think of basically anyone that truly hadn´t feared him-

…

There weren't that many people not to mention any girls. Celty maybe, but she didn't count, and even if she weren´t he didn't want her to interfere in his fights, he could never forgive himself for hurting someone precious by accident.

"... I don't think anyone can calm me down, when I get mad so-" he didn't get to finish his line of thoughts as the raven nodded eagerly, continuing the sentence for him right away.

"So you need a tough girl, one that knows when to run for it and when to stay."

A bit amazed at how well the raven understood him the blond found himself to be able to nothing but nod stunned.

"Yeah exactly." Because, no matter the person, he had a feeling eh would end up hurting them even if they did their very best to calm him down. And that was scaring him.

"One that will make you laugh too I suppose, quiet and timid girls are way too boring." And then again the flea was all wrong.

"That's your opinion," the blond said, a snort escaping his lips.

"So a girl reading book and not talking much around you will make you happy?"

…

Okay, that got the blond thinking.

As much as he would have liked to argue, somehow the idea of just living next to a girl that didn't challenge him to arguments seemed somewhat off. Not that he liked to fight, but- somehow something was just wrong about it.

"... not really," he mumbled, accepting that the flea was actually right.

"You want someone that can cheer you up after your little fits right?" the raven continued with a grin on his face that seemed way too triumphant and yet-

"Yeah-" that sounded about right.

"One that you can rely on and that relies on you." The blond´s expression lit up, starting to imagine a girl that would somewhat be like that- it would really be perfect wouldn't it?

"Yeah, that's actually true."

"So, Shizu-chan," the raven grinned and suddenly he was just having this mischievous glint in his eyes the blond had somehow learned to love.

"Why haven't you confessed to me yet?"

"What-"

… for a second the blond´s mind was blank.

The grin on Izaya's face just multiplied at the obvious confusion written all across Shizu-chan´s face and he chirped on.

"Well you obviously just described me~ Your perfect type, I'm honored~"

"You!" Someone that knew when to run away and when to stay, someone that made him laugh, someone he could rely on- "That-" Somehow the blond found himself at a loss for words. But it wasn't just because of the teasing. "-you tricked me!" he blurted out trying to shake off that sudden mess of thoughts and images inside his head that popped out from nowhere, but the raven just laughed, obviously amused by his little game while Shizuo was actually pretty damn confused by a certain thought that crossed his mind right then and there when Izaya said he was his perfect type.

Had there seriously been an instant "yes" resounding in his head?

"Calm down I know I did," the flea was still laughing, waving him off as he got up from the cupboard he had been sitting on. And the blond- the blond was just pretty damn dumbfounded.

He couldn't come up with a reason why Izaya wouldn't be what he just said. He couldn't come up with anything at the moment. What the hell was his brain even doing? Was he seriously going to ponder on the fact whether Izaya would actually be someone he could fall in love with? No, this was Izaya, Izaya was just Izaya.

The term love was something he never felt something he couldn't even describe-

And yet his mind kept screaming things at him he didn't understand.

Shaking his head the blond shook the thought off.

It was only when a hand waved in front of his face that the blond noticed a certain someone had been talking to him.

"Earth to Shizu-chan, did your brain shut down or something?"

"What´s _your_ type?"

The second those words left the blond´s ips he equally cursed and questioned himself what the fuck he was even asking for- and yet he was way too curious about Izaya´s response.

And for a moment, a tiny little moment there was something in the flea´s eyes that made the raven choke on his words. As if he had swallowed what he wanted to say he just blinked for a second, then again until a grin flashed across his lips- one that seemed somewhat forced and yet not entirely dishonest.

"Secret~"

It drove the blond insane for a reason he didn´t understand.

"Hey, that´s unfair I told you too!" he complained, but Izaya as already shuffling over to a different pile of clothes.

"I doubt we will find any women here anyway, Shizu-chan," the raven stated, bearing the topic no more mind as he pulled a couple shirts and pants from one of the shelves. "except you are into necrophilia."

The blond blinked, following the raven on his shopping trip.

"Necro-what?" he asked, making the raven blink, then snort. of course, innocent Shizu-chan would not know what that is.

"Fucking corpses," he explained as blunt as he could and the blond just cringed at his answer like he had just spelled out the most disgusting thing he had ever heard.

"What the fuck-?" to be honest Izaya had expected that kind of reaction, but seeing it was still funny. A blink followed, a momentarily confused expression until the disgusted frown grew even deeper- "How come there is a term for that?!" Izaya couldn't help but be amused by the blond´s knowledge and view of the world.

"Our world is filled with sick people Shizu-chan." A blink followed, then a snort and Izaya stifled a laughter as he realized the irony of his words. "That pun was not even intended."

Sick people huh? Yep, those were everywhere now. Turning around the raven deemed what he had gathered was enough. Just living with only one pair of clothes would prove to be a challenge after all, especially considering how often they got into trouble and they ended up being wasted.

he hoped none of that trouble would arise in the library, however.

"But hey, apparently I'm your type so-" Izaya teased, stepping over a pile of rubbish as he made his way out of the store.

"Can you stop saying that?!" the blood complained making the raven enjoy his teasing even more- really now, if Shizu-chan just didn´t react to it he would have no reason to go on, but like this? When he was giving such amusing reactions?

"But why?" he pouted playfully, grinning at his companion as he stepped onto one of the tilted over shelves, letting his hand brushing along his side with an expression he would have defined as alluring as he teased the blond. "I´m sexy and you know it~"

And the blond could just stare, partly feeling an old form of rage that made him want to throw the flea out of the shop, but just a little of course so he wouldn't get hurt, and partly something that didn't belong here. Something that hadn´t belonged to the theater play they had done before either.

Matching the raven's grin he chose away the thought. The flea was just joking around.

"You, sexy?" he asked aloud, as the raven continued posing on the shelve. Seriously-

The raven just grinned, was about to say something, and it was just then that he misstepped on that small piece of furniture and went crashing onto the ground.

He caught himself of course, and yet the picture had been pretty hilarious considering Izaya´s words and the blond snorted.

"Smooth." It was only then he caught a sort of strained expression from the raven´s face.

"Izaya?" the raven merely frowned, biting his lips as he tried to take even breaths of air. He hadn´t really hurt himself, but during the fall he had managed to hit that stupid edge right into his waist-

It hurt like a bitch.

"I´m okay." he managed to answer with a weak groan as he waved the blond off, but Shizu-chan was already next to him anyway.

"Come on I will carry you back." A frown crossed Izaya's face as he glanced up at the blond. no way, he didn't want to go home, he wanted to look around- and yet with that amount of concern Shizu-chan´s eyes… he sighed. How could he say no?

"Alright," unwillingly he took the hand Shizu-chan was offering and let himself be pulled up from the ground. A short frown crossed his face at the motion since his side still stung, but the moment he was on Shizu-chan's back that subsided.

It was oddly comforting to say the least and he sighed as he just let his head thud against the blond´s shoulder.

"Just for the record I'm still sexy," he mumbled, not exactly liking the way his little show ended.

A snort followed, and he could literally imagine the blond smiling at his words,

"Of course you are." and yet he didn't really mind as he smiled himself. A warmth spreading inside his chest that was unfamiliar, and yet not exactly unpleasant, as the blond carried him home.

**to be continued C: now the sweetest freaking part of the whole of sotd is awaiting you next chapter xDD be ready to squeal the shit out of yourselves xDDDDDD**

**Well then, that´s all I wanted to say xD The next chapter will be out onnnn- lemme check**

**3rd September C: xD See you all peeps~! C: C: C: 3**

 


	29. -๑-๑ஜ ๑- You are awesome -๑ஜ ๑-๑-

 

**-Izaya´s point of view.-**

The sun was gleaming strong, painting everything in a pleasant orange and red. Even the rubbish on the ground and the destroyed shops seemed somewhat beautiful the way they reflected the sun's light. The broken glass sparkled as the blond moved past another shop, the raven´s warmth still present on his back.

"It´s almost too beautiful today," the raven mumbled, feeling as though the sun was making it a point to mock them by how gorgeous the sky seemed to be painted.

"How can it be too beautiful?" Shizu-chan asked, making the raven snort just a bit.

"Well considering our surroundings, the sky doesn't fit what´s underneath." It certainly didn´t.

He could hear the sounds, the noises of monsters lurking inside the dark black buildings. And yet the scenery right now, walking towards the school they had determined as their home with the sunset at its back, seemed just way too peaceful.

"I guess I know what you mean," the blond hummed, his eyes glancing warily from left to right very couple seconds.

The sun had only started to set and everything was still illuminated properly by the light- the school was up in front too, but he couldn't help but be extra cautious.

"Maybe after nature starts covering everything with its healthy green the sky will match with the ground again," Izaya argued and the blond had to admit that maybe he was right.

Once the plants had taken over the city again… that would take long time wouldn't it? At that moment the zombies might as well all be dead already, died of starvation since no humans were left anymore or just died because of that virus finally killing them off.

He wondered whether Izaya and him would still be together like this by then. Travelling to who knew where… listening to Izaya's rants and doing shit that the blond hadn´t even tried before the world started going down the gutter…

To be honest the imagination of such a time should shock him or make him frown, but now that he had gotten used to have the flea around like this he couldn't help but feel that he really wouldn't mind such a future at all.

his grip on the flea tightened just a little bit. If the flea was still with him by that time that was.

"You could have gotten that woman I bet." Surprised by the sudden change of topic the blond blinked, the hold on the flea loosening up again.

"What?" he repeated, wondering who the on earth the flea could have meant.

"Your type," the raven explained, his head resting on the blond´s shoulder as he watched the shops they passed by.

"I hope you are not talking about yourself," the blond mumbled making the raven snort.

"No, actually, I'm being serious." For once the raven actually meant what he had said to the fullest. Even though Shizu-chan didn't seem to be all that convinced on his part.

"I don't know if you noticed but everyone was afraid of me back then."

"Oh I wasn't," the raven reminded the blond. "You aren't as scary as you think."

It was what he honestly believed. Sure, Shizu-chan could execute quite the fear inducing moves, but that didn't mean he himself was someone people would have had to fear in the first place.

"Your opinion doesn't count you are crazy."

Pfft, of course.

Maybe he really was. Crazy that is. But still he could see no flaw in his logic.

"No seriously. You aren't that bad of a guy. I mean apart from your looks, and I hope I don´t need to tell you that do look pretty damn good for a monster, you aren't as frightening up close." Pausing in his steps for a moment the blond wondered whether he had just misheard.

The blond had not expected that.

Not any of those words. And especially not from the flea. He felt a weird warmth at heart, almost made him feel uncomfortable. The flea was just joking around- he had to be.

"Are you saying I'm hot now?" Shizuo snorted, trying to switch the topic but oh the flea wasn't done yet.

"Well why not? You seriously give yourself too less credit. You aren´t all anger and violence. You are actually a pretty thoughtful person, to the point I would almost call you perceptive, insightful and maybe even smart," the flea continued, every word feeling like he was pressing something hot against the blond´s back and face.

"Smart?" the blond laughed awkwardly, not knowing how to actually handle what the raven had said. He had never had to deal with something like.. compliments or things of that sort. If anything people were always telling him just what was wrong about him or what he needed to change about himself. To hear the flea speak about him this.. positively, was unsettling him, he didn´t know how he was supposed to react. "If anyone is smart, then it's you. I know nothing like you do," he pointed out, knowing that he could never ever compete with the huge amount of knowledge Izaya seemed to possess.

"Smartness isn't defined by the amount of information we possess Shizu-chan," the raven argued instead, "it's about how fast you are able to grasp and understand things. You aren´t stupid."

No, Shizu-chan wasn´t stupid. Sure Izaya had always called him that way, called him an amoeba, a brute, a beast too, but all of that was not actually true. Well maybe in terms of strength monster wasn't exactly unfitting but apart from that he had just been teasing and annoying the man on purpose.

"It's the opposite actually," he mumbled, remembering all those good old times they had had, apart from the fights that is. It´s not like they never talked to each other. At times when they were both at Shinra's and they had to get along sort of without destroying his home the blond had almost behaved normal. Like he would with anyone else. Sure while destroying some cups accidentally, but hey. The way he always worried about his brother, was certainly a trait he wouldn't exactly call negative. "You are surprisingly emphatic, honest, caring to a degree I will probably never understand. You are strong, which is more of a positive trait than you might think." Strong in a sense of what he could endure- what kind of words and treatment he had been able to endure all lifelong. If he were Shizu-chan and he had been shunned his entire life like this, he wasn't too sure if he could have handled it as well as Shizu-chan had.

"Except when you lose it you always try to do what you think is right, you have an awful huge sense of justice. Just remember you didn't approve of me hotwiring a car even though the apocalypse was already there, not to mention that guilt you always carry around for destroying the city." There was a reason after all Izaya had had it so easy to annoy the blond by simply telling him what he had destroyed again and how his brother would think of him now after all.

"You are surprisingly sensitive to your feelings as well as others. You are the type that gets hurt all the time but never complains about it because you consider others reasons first. Emotionally I mean. I can't remember a single time you would get angry over yourself. If someone involves people you know, friends, or family, or causes trouble for others then that´s a different matter, but when it comes down to yourself you never burst out like that."

The raven had to smile at his own words as they remembered him of a scene he had accidentally seen. The blond had been on his way home and some kids thought it would be fun to annoy the man. he taught them a little lesson, but he didn't hurt any of them. Sure he scared them off, but still it happened in a manner so controlled it had left the raven surprised.

"You always put others safety first, no matter what- Well there is that part of you having monstrous strength, but that doesn't mean you won't get hurt. Coming down to it I think the only bad trait about you is your temper and not even that is as unreasonable as you describe it."

Heh. Thinking about it, Shizu-chan really gave himself way too less credit.

"I think if that type of girl is running around somewhere out there she surely could have loved you for who you are."

…

Shizuo didn't even know what he was supposed to respond. The flea wasn't joking, he actually meant what he had said and somehow it made him feel something he had never felt before.

He just felt so very warm at heart. He didn't know the flea knew him that well. Shizuo hadn't even bothered to look that closely at himself. What he said didn't sound like it had been mockery, and yet the blond couldn't believe what he was hearing from the raven.

"Are you even listening?" the raven asked after a few seconds of silence. he had expected to get some kind of answer from the blond, maybe some sort of protests about how what he said wasn´t true.

"... I am-" was the short answer he received as they had finally reached the building.

"Just... I don't really know what to say." The raven snorted in amusement- was Shizu-chan actually being shy?

"Seriously you are speechless?" he would have never thought Shizu-chan was the type to get embarrassed about compliments.

And oh yes, he somewhat did. He could feels the weight on his back spreading a certain kind of warmth from not only there but also inside his chest.

he… didn't know what he was supposed to say.

Thank you? He wasn't thanking Izaya for saying what he did, he just…hearing how the flea thought about him, how he saw him made him feel somewhat ..light.

"You aren't that bad either," he mumbled, barely loud enough for the raven to catch the words. A grin crossed his face and he nodded in agreement.

"Oh, I know I'm awesome~ that´s why I´m your type, ne?" it was somewhat of a joke and yet-

"Yeah." the raven blinked.

"Yeah, what?"

"Yeah, you are awesome." A gush of warmth spread along the raven´s face at the unexpected agreement, rendering him speechless for a moment. His hand found its way up to his face as he let his eyes trail to the right.

Ahhh- he hadn't exactly expected that-

And he certainly hadn't expected how… it made him feel. All of a sudden he was just way too conscious of the hands holding his thighs in place. Of the strong shoulders he kept holding on to and the warmth spreading from the blond´s back as he couldn't see his expression but merely look at the blond hair he was so used to see.

He felt something stir inside him that he couldn´t quite point out-

Just what had he been rambling for fucks sake? Things like these weren't meant to be said out loud-

Honestly, the raven couldn't help but deem his own reaction as more embarrassing than Shizu-chan´s. The blond had at least been able to reply something after all he said.

Taking a deep breath the raven cleared his throat.

"Now I think you got the fever Shizu-chan," he cooed, making the blond merely laugh in response.

It was when they were already almost at their school, their new home, that a clattering sound made them both of them snap out of their thoughts.

Almost instantly the two tensed- Izaya could feel the way Shizu-chan´s grip tightened on Izaya and the blond felt the flea´s hands dig into his skin.

There was a store next to the school. It had already been there when they first arrived as well- the windows were broken entirely, sharp and dangerous the shards were scattered everywhere and the shelves inside the shop had all been thrown over.

It was a sound coming from the pile of darkness that alerted them.

Groaning.

The raven felt his guts churn, his imagination helping him to see shadows move inside the darkness.

The blond wasn't stupid, the sun was still out, he knew they weren't in any form of danger- but one thing he was worried about was Izaya to say the least.

Tense and quiet against his back he was scanning the shop.

Shizuo knew he was afraid, he knew what he was thinking about. He could hear him swallow, his breathing having become so quiet as though he was trying to make himself as unnoticeable as possible.

It made his blood boil- made him angry, to know that these assholes had managed to affect the flea, the louse that didn´t even fear him, like this.

But he had to calm down. Going over there and beating every single one of these assholes up wasn't going to help Izaya. No, not when the sun was already setting and he was only getting them into danger.

Trying to calm his own rage the blond closed his eyes for a short second.

"It's okay, they won't come out."

Izaya's eyes were still fixated on the shop. his hair was standing on ends. "I know." He knew they weren't able to come out of the darkness. He knew it.

And yet-

Not wanting to let the blond know about what these things were doing with him mentally he cleared his throat and pointed towards the shop.

"Hey let's take that with us, could be fun."

For a second the blond was confused, his eyes following where the raven was pointing. It was only at second glance that he spotted a billiard table outside the shop. It was partly buried by rubbish and one of its three legs seemed to be broken.

He wanted to object, not thinking that it would contribute to the raven´s fears if they went any closer to that shop- but then he realized what the flea was trying to do.

Izaya was obviously trying to distract him from the topic at hand.

Izaya was Izaya- the informant, his long life enemy, the person no one was going to take down except him maybe- he didn't want Shizuo to know about this.

no, maybe that wasn´t even it. The flea probably didn't even want to admit to himself that he had a problem to begin with.

Tightening his grip on the flea the blond moved towards the table. Warily his eyes scanned the inside of the shop, almost begging for none of the zombies to appear while Izaya was looking. The arms having wrapped around his neck in what seemed to be a comfortable position tensed the slightest bit and he could feel the raven inch just the slightest bit closer.

The sound of wood breaking and glass clattering to the ground filled the air as the blond pulled the billiard table out from underneath a pile of rubbish. Surprisingly the texture of the green surface had not been destroyed or damaged at all. And the billiard balls seemed to be resting in a casket on one side of the table.

"One leg is broken though," the blond pointed out the obvious while taking even but steady steps away from the shop. He couldn't wait to be back inside the library again.

Not because of the zombies, but rather because he didn't like it one bit that Izaya had made him go over there just to prove how he was okay when he wasn´t.

"We can just put some books beneath that one," the raven replied, his head still turned and eyes glued to the shop as Shizuo finally entered the school.

Lifting the table above their heads he made his way up the stairs, careful to not accidentally damage it and so they got to their room again.

The bookshelf was still in the same place, away from the window, making the sun's rays illuminate everything in orange and red.

The billiard table was placed on the floor, gracefully tilting over, as Shizuo locked the door by shoving another bookshelf in front of it again.

Sighing he looked at the closed entrance.

Perfect, now this he liked way better. He turned around, wondering whether he should close up the window already as well, but paused.

The flea he had let down had already moved over to the window. He was next to it, arms crossed, looking down onto the street from above.

Shizuo didn't need to be a genius to figure out what the flea was looking at.

Awkwardly he rose his hand, rubbing his neck as he approached the raven from behind.

"They won't come in here."

the raven had obviously heard his words as the grip on his crossed arms tightened just a little it.

"Of course Shizu-chan, I know that," he merely responded, but he sounded way less convincing than ever- it was almost as if he weren't even trying to convince him at all.

It left the blond at a loss of words.

He wanted to comfort him somehow but knowing how prideful the flea was- he didn't even want to admit to him that he was afraid, so who was he kidding?

And yet… Frowning just a bit, the blond stepped a step closer.

Fuck it.

A shoulder suddenly bumping against the raven´s to the point it almost felt like Shizuo was leaning onto him made the raven blink and twist his head.

Shizu-chan was frowning, but not saying a word.

Was he… trying to cheer him up?

He couldn't help but snort at the awkward, yet so Shizu-chan like move.

"Smooth," he snorted, and he felt as though the crease on Shizu-chan´s forehead was disappearing as he looked at him again.

"Ne," he started looking towards the newest asset to their home.

"How about we try that game you made me bring up here?"

A surprised blink followed as the raven looked back and forth between the billiard table and Shizu-chan.

"What?" he asked, pointing at the table- " _You_ are suggesting to play?"

"Well that's what you wanted me to bring it for, no?" Izaya couldn't help but laugh at the oh so logical words.

"Yeah but I didn't think _you_ would be the one to ask _me_ for a game," he pointed out, moving away from the creepy window and approached the game instead. "If anything it's always the other way round." The billiard table seemed to have witnessed some harsh times, but with a few books he should eb able to fix it.

"Does Shizu-chan even know how to play?" the raven questioned as he chose some of the thickest books he could find in the bookshelf and pulled them out.

"Just a few basics, but I guess you do?" Shizuo asked, lifting up the table as the raven stocked the reading sources upon each other.

The raven snorted, glancing up from the blond from underneath as if he had just offended him.

"Please Shizu-chan, who do you think you are talking to?" The blond rolled his eyes, partly annoyed, partly glad, because this was the Izaya he knew. The boasting, childish, smart little shit.

"You think I can´t beat you, huh?" the blond hummed, making the raven perk his ears.

"Oh, you think you can?"

"Is that a challenge?"

There it was again, the mischievous glint in Izaya's eyes as he out the last book beneath the billiard table, now even and ready to play with.

"Bring it on Shizu-chan~"

**to be continued~**

**KYAAAA isn't this sweet?! xDD oh and don't you worry i'm not even done with the squealiness yet xDDDD Oh gosh i love writing this so much I can't even xDDD But next chapter- Oh my god. next chapter- people, prepare yourselves C: Because next chapter will blow your brain out xDDD Finally I'm getting to write this chapter ohohohooh xDDDDDD**

**On a side note- not many are reading mah story "Shingeki no Shizuo" and I think it's kinda a shame cuz I love to work the most on that one right now (and sotd) xDD and it's gonna be one long ass story, so- xD**

**Nuh but really, if you aren't reading it cuz it´s an AU you are missing out on something xD**

**cuz it's got nothing to do with the actual anime Attack On titan except for the fact that there are titans running around C': The entire staff of it has been replaced by the DRRR staff, so there is no Eren, but a Shizu-chan instead C: no levi but an Izaya captain running around C: and the plot is something entirely new as well so x'D**

**It´s really similar to Survival of the doomed in a sense, there is some comedy with occasional moments of seriousness and little Shizaya moments when they decide to work together for once xD not to mention the sexual tension ohohoho C: C: C: xD**

**Oh well, anyway that´s it~ ho ho ho ho C: look forward to the next chapter -OMG- xD Which will be out onnn 24th September~! C: C: C: C.**

**See you~! C: 3 3 3**

**PS.: Also, hey, hey, peeps I started a twitter account xD I dunno if anyone of you has twitter, but if you do, I'm posting tiny lil spoilers for chapters and previews on pictures I´m drawing and hmmmmm lemme think, well just random shit in between I guess xD Oh and I'm also twittering about delays of chapters and stuff xD -hopefully those won't appear too often- -coughs- xD**

**Just search for "Shirohimesstories or Shirosstories", I dunno cuz one time twitter made me cut my penname short xDD**

**Anyway~ See you next chapter C:**


	30. -๑-๑ ஜ ๑- I challenge you- -๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

 

**-Izaya´s point of view.-**

"But first, we should get something to drink~" To drink?

"What? Water?" Shizuo questioned wondering just what exactly the flea planning again. A snort was all that followed, however.

"No, not water, I was thinking of something more appropriate." Shuffling over to that one bookshelf that was indeed filled with books still he grasped a few of the old pieces of literature- and along with them a bottle of wine he had found inside what had seemed to be the headmaster´s office.

"Appropriate for what?" the blond asked, watching the flea as he opened the bottle and poured himself some wine into -sadly- not one of those fancy wine glasses but a mere cup.

"For how well we are doing, surviving and all, I think we should celebrate this place as well, after all we finally found a home we can come back to anytime." Izaya continued making it a point to recall that they were indeed safe in here as he took a sip of the wine.

He tried to tell himself that he was only pointing it out for Shizu-chan, but that might not even be the case…

With all these gruesome creatures surrounding them and all the various encounters they had had so far- was it strange he had developed a healthy dose of fear towards these monsters?

"Hmmm, okay, sounds good to me," Shizu-chan replied following the raven who had placed the cup down to revert his earlier action of collecting books he deemed thick enough to be useful in fixing the table.

With three legs it was nowhere near even and so the raven lifted it, placing the books he had collected underneath the spot where its fourth leg was supposed to be in.

Book after book was stocked upon each other, Charles Dickens, Shakespeare, Goethe,they all were going to ensure Shizu-chan and him would be able to play billiard in a proper way~

Izaya couldn't help but feel the tension leave his body as he tried to choose the right last book that would support the table in just the perfect way.

Watching with interest the blond was only able to do just that- it wasn't like he wouldn't be able to do as much as well, but seeing how the raven was more skilled at fine crafting he chose to let him do the deed.

Moreover he didn´t want the flea to state later that the only reason he lost was because of how Shizuo adjusted the table.

Averting his gaze for a second he looked back at the cup Izaya had placed next to the bottle of wine. He had never been one to drink anything like that- then again alcohol in itself was something immensely gross to his poor taste buds.

If it were a glass of milk, then okay, he would love it, but this gross bitter liquid? Even the colour was putting him off- who would drink something as red as blood?

Grasping the fragile glass of the wine he pulled it up to inspect its name more properly.

Gevrey Chambertin- what did that even mean? Was that the name of the wine or the dude that produced it? Did they squeeze the wine out of that poor guy- he was almost about to laugh at his own little joke, but then he saw something that made him frown for just a second.

"Did you drink that?" the blond suddenly questioned, making the raven who had finished fixing the table turn his head.

"The wine? Of course," he answered wondering why the blond was wearing such a worried expression as he took another sip of the cup.

"Because it expired fifty years ago-" Izaya should not have drank from the cup at that moment- almost choking on the liquid he tried to swallow it down before bursting out laughing.

"For fucks sake you almost made me spill the good wine-" he laughed, only causing the confusion on Shizuo's expression to grow.

"You call that good?"

"Shizu-chan, wine only gets better the older it is!" Izaya explained wondering for a moment whether the blond was just joking or really had that little knowledge about wine. But innocent and honest expression was only affirming his suspicion though.

He put his own cup back onto the table and scurried over to the makeshift kitchen, deeming today would be the first day Shizu-chan tasted wine.

Without any further delay he grabbed another cup, tilted the bottle and-

"Try it," he handed it over to the blond who was now cringing softly as he stared at the drink that had somehow found its way inside his palm.

"Do I have to…?" he questioned hoping that maybe Izaya would change his mind- just the smell of the bitter wine was already making him cringe.

"Come on Shizu-chan, one gulp~!" Seriously, the blond felt like a little kid that got told to finish its vegetables on the plate-

Deeming he didn't want to smell the wine any longer he squeezed his eyes shut and-

"Urgh-" a shudder travelled down his spine as he swallowed the liquid- "Gross… way too bitter-" only causing the raven to laugh in amusement.

"My, Shizu-chan, some people would kill for an exquisite wine like this." Well not that he had expected any other reaction from the blond.

To be honest he just wanted to tease Shizu-chan a bit.

The cup was placed back onto the table as the raven shuffled over to the billiard one instead.

"Well then, Shizu-chan," he announced, picking up a queue attached to one side of the billiard table- at least these weren't damaged in any way. Billiard balls were collected and placed onto the game as the raven aimed at the one white billiard ball and-

"I challenge you to billard~" clinking and clacking the balls hurried across the board- slamming into each other, slamming against the edge of the game until two fully coloured balls found their destination inside one of the six holes on the table.

A grin was decorating Izaya´s expression as he leant down once more, that shirt riding up his waist for just a second as his crimson eyes narrowed in concentration.

And again, thunk, thunk, and gone it was, the billiard ball that is, inside the right corner of the billiard table.

And Shizuo, Shizuo somehow couldn't take his eyes of Izaya.

The flea was always so fucking ... elegant. They way he moved, the way he acted, every motion was executed in a fashion as if he knew Shizuo was watching.

"Your turn~" the information broker purred snapping Shizuo with a "What?" out of his not too pure thoughts. A snort escaped the raven haired as he walked over to the blond.

"Shizu-chan are you still paying attention?" he questioned, "or was that single gulp of wine too much for you?"

"Of course not-" he instantly replied snatching the second queue Izaya was holding out to him from the raven´s grasp.

He had seen how this game worked before- on tv that is- Izaya was supposed to shove the whole coloured balls inside the holes now- and he was supposed to hit the ones that were striped with their top and bottom coloured white.

Trying to imitate the way Izaya had acted before he leaned down onto the table- he even tried holding the queue in the same way, all while looking at one of those striped little fuckers he was supposed to kill.

He aimed-

He shot-

And Izaya laughed his ass off.

"What was that?" Shizuo had not only missed the striped ball, no, he even managed to miss the white one-

"Oh, shut up flea I slipped-!" the blond hushed quickly a slight sting of annoyance wracking his gears as he glared at the white ball.

"Slipped my ass how are you even holding that queue?" Izaya inquired, moving over to Shizuo's side. "Have you even played before?"

Shrugging the blond put the stick back onto the table- maybe with a bit too much strength because he was sure he heard something crack there.

"I watched you just now, didn't look too difficult," he answered simply, only causing the raven to blink before falling into a laughing fit however.

"Shizu-chan, watching doesn't make you a good player!" Honestly speaking Izaya should have expected as much, he really couldn't picture Shizu-chan playing billiard in a civilized way with anyone.

"Just you wait I will beat you anyway!" Shizuo announced, taking that stick again as he glared at the balls- the brush of a hand, putting the stick aside made him halt though as the raven took his place and leant across the billiard table.

"Sure, sure, now watch." Gracious and definitely way more elegant than Shizuo could even dream of to be Izaya bent across the table, eyes fixated on one of his own balls- the stick was aiming, stilling and-

_**THUNK** _

There it was, the white ball met the red one rolling and rolling in a fashion that almost seemed like the flea was actually moving that little shit with some kind of trick- because he had only barely hit the red ball and it just rolled to the left and right into that socket.

"And that's how you do it~" Izaya announced a slight hint of mockery noticeable in his voice, but to Shizu-chan it was nothing but a challenge. Nothing but a challenge?

Well actually there was more.

Turning his head to follow the raven´s moves Shizuo caught himself lingering just a tiny tad too long on the flea´s hips for some reason.

"Your turn," Izaya announced, casually hopping onto the other end of the billiard table.

Had the fla always been this slim? No not slim, something else, the word was already on the tip of Shizuo's tongue and yet it wouldn't come to mind something with S maybe, S… se-

"Shizu-chan are you waiting for them to drop dead being glared at or what are you doing?" Izaya suddenly questioned already getting bored since Shizu-chan didn't seem to be intending to actually play the game. A snort was all he received though, followed right up by a strange smile crossing Shizu-chan´s expression.

"You are having fun here aren't you?" the blond questioned, and actually, now that he said it out loud Izaya had to admit he was right.

He had been scared of the zombies before, but right now, he really was enjoying himself.

"A bit-" he hummed, taking another sip from the magnificent wine before shuffling over to the blond once more. This could actually be some great fun.

Startled by the hand that was suddenly sliding up his arm Shizuo twisted his head only to meet Izaya´s gaze way more close than he had expected it to be.

"Look, you have to do it like this-" Izaya started, his own innocent eyes resting on the billiard table instead. And suddenly there was another hand sneaking around the blond making him shift awkwardly-

"What are you doing?" he questioned, neither used to nor comfortable over having the flea be this touchy feely with him- only for a small second the blond wondered whether he wanted the flea to move away entirely or whether it wasn't the other way round-

"Be quiet and let me show you," was the only answer he received- it's no fun if you are no challenge at all," Izaya announced, looking up at him with this mischievous glint of his residing inside his eyes.

Ah.

That was when the blond realized it. It wasn't that he didn't want Izaya to get so touchy feely with him, it was rather that he didn't understand why he enjoyed the flea being so touchy feely with him-

Swallowing down whatever he had been about to say the blond tried to ignore the sudden thoughts popping up inside his mind that definitely didn't belong there.

But that wasn't exactly easy considering, how close and hot Izaya felt again his bo-

_**THUNK** _

WHAT WAS HE THINKING ABOUT?!

"Oh well done Shizu-chan~!" the raven suddenly chirped snapping the blond out of his thoughts, who had basically just moved that stick towards the ball because of the sheer shock his brain had been thrown into-

Following the raven's glance he looked at the billiard table. The white ball had moved, and one of his halves- had disappeared inside a socket.

"I got it in-" he mumbled, pretty surprised himself.

"That was just luck but yes," Izaya announced, leaving off the blond as he grabbed his own pool stick again. Sure he had shown Shizu-chan how he was supposed to play, but that didn't mean he was going to let him win or anything outrageous of this sort. Izaya was competitive by nature~

Swiftly the raven turned, barely taking a fraction of a second to look at the constellation on top of the table as he placed the stick onto the table and-

_**THUNK THUNK** _

Hitting the white ball he hit two other balls rolling right into their destination.

"Can you beat that?" the raven purred, lifting the stick towards his cheek as he grinned at the blond.

He seemed to have stirred something in the blond as he received an almost equally fired glance.

"You bet-!" he announced, stepping right up to the table.

"I challenge you to get the red 5 in~" Izaya started, making the blond halt for a second as he searched for the ball he was talking about- well he found it, but god damn it was in the shittiest position ever.

"Only that? No problem-" Shizuo announced, believing in his luck from before that he would be able to get that one in.

Seemed Lady Luck was not on his side today though, because apart from hearing the familiar THUNK resound when the white ball hit the other balls, not much happened. They barely even moved from their position.

"Aw too bad~" Izaya grinned, but hey two could play this game-

"Okay, then I challenge you to get three at once in," Shizuo announced, knowing that Izaya surely wouldn´t turn the challenge down, after all he was such a good player wasn't he? "Should be easy to do for you, no?" he added just to make sure the flea rally wouldn't back out.

"Bring it on," Izaya purred, his glance challenging as he leaned back onto the billiard table. For the fraction of a second Shizuo almost thought the flea was going to slip and drop onto the table instead because of the angle he was leaning onto it, but no he didn´t. Concentrating the flea was looking at the balls, one after the other- He aimed-

He shot-

And-

_**THUNK THUNK** _

"Awww so close," Shizuo grinned, happy that Izaya only managed to get two of those three balls into their sockets.

"Well then, I challenge you to get the green one in," Izaya announced right away, deeming the little slip up was more than okay considering that he was totally going to beat Shizu-chan at this game.

Shizuo was just leaning down to aim at that sneaky little ball, when suddenly there was a certain someone sprawling just across the table.

The blond blinked, looked at Izaya.

The raven was resting on his side, one elbow propped up to support his head, the other on his hip as he smiled at the blond.

"Hey, that's cheating," Shizuo announced, ignoring the fact that his mouth might have gone a little bit dry at the sight.

"Is it? I'm just laying here though?" Izaya purred innocently, using his finger to play with one of the balls resting on the table.

Sure, Shizuo could have just pulled that flea off the table by his shirt or whatever, but somehow he wasn't quite feeling up to do that.

Instead he did something the raven certainly hadn't expected-

He aimed-

He shot-

And-

_**THUNK** _

Both more than just surprised for a second looked at the socket the ball had disappeared into. The blond had merely used enough force to hit the ball with to make it jump, literally jump right through that triangle shaped opening between Izaya's head and elbow as it rolled its way into the socket on the other side of the table.

"Hah! You saw that?!" Shizuo asked, obviously just as surprised as Izaya himself.

"Okay that was definitely luck-" the raven frowned a bit, not amused he was actually losing to the blond.

"No matter what it was I'm winning flea~" the blond purred- he fucking purred.

Izaya hummed, if this was what it was going to belike then he would have to turn the game up a notch~

"Okay," he announced with a grin, "I challenge you to get the next ball in within five seconds-"

A blink followed, a fraction of a second-

"What?!" Shizuo asked, but the flea was still grinning-

"5-" he suddenly announced, Shizuo moved to the other side of the table, knowing there were still more balls resting, "4" he saw one, the green half, he could easily hit that one! "3" Sucked to be him though because he had forgotten the white ball was still on the other side of the table he had previously been standing at- "2" twisting around he changed his course again- wanting to run back to his earlier position before the raven´s countdown was over-

Ah.

He forgot something though.

The books-

This table did not possess four legs, nope-

Before he could even register what it was his leg had suddenly met head on the flea was already yelping.

Sneaking their way in between the blond´s legs as they little tower of books tilted over the blond failed to regain his balance as he just grabbed whatever was in reach to try and keep upright.

Too bad Izaya was the only object sliding its way towards him-

With a squeak and a rough sound of balls hitting the floor as they rolled away from the scene the two of them crashed right into each other- the table giving up with a last protesting creak as it hit the floor as well.

They were on the ground, Izaya should be laughing, should be saying he lost, but somehow that wasn't so important right now.

Izaya was leaning on his elbows, propping himself up just a bit, and Shizu-chan was just that much more closer than before, causing his breath to hitch for the fraction of a second. He wanted to joke about the brute not moving or say anything as a matter of fact, but somehow they both went silent as their gazes met.

A feeling of heat was making the blond swallow as a sudden thud resounded in the silence. Blinking the blond lifted his head for a second, just in time to see the billiard ball, rolling rolling and-

"I won." It fell right into the table corner´s socket. And yet as his gaze travelled down to the flea again he wore an expression he couldn't quite decipher. It was something akin to an amused smile and yet it wasn't just that.

"Satisfied now?" the blond asked with the attempt of a smile, yet he couldn't tear his stare away from the flea- was Izaya looking at his lips?

"Hmm, not really," the raven mused- words suddenly forming inside his head that shouldn´t-

"Ne Shizu-chan," it was stupid, silly even, but looking at him, feeling the blond so close his mind was suddenly going crazy. And before he had the chance to think his actions over the words already spilled from his lips- "I challenge you to a kiss."

Hah, a kiss-

As soon as the words slipped from his lips the raven already regretted what he was saying- there was no way Shizu-chan would-

Soft.

Moist-

-and warm.

Izaya's eyes, not even having realized he had closed them, suddenly snapped open. Lips were touching the raven´s before he could even finish his line of thoughts- unfamiliar softness pressing against his mouth-

Confusion was threatening to throw Izaya's mind into chaos- if it weren't for that warm gaze looking at him from above.

Those brown warm eyes filled with something that only caused the warmth inside his chest to spread- and all of a sudden he found his own lips moving against the blond´s returning the kiss.

Hands were suddenly moving closer, brushing against his cheek, softly a weird warmth took over his entire being.

All of a sudden he was way too aware of how close Shizu-chan was, how soft the fabric of his shirt felt against his skin when he let his fingertips trail through his hair- how lean, strong and unmoving that body rested against his thighs in order to stay upright-

A tongue suddenly slipped inside Izaya's mouth, surprising the raven with its bold move.

Shizu-chan´s hands were moving, trailing up Izaya´s spine as the raven used his own to push himself up against the blond. It wasn't until the blond had pulled Izaya straight into his lap that the two broke away from each other for a second.

Eyes lid, back against the billiard table and his fingers tangled in Shizu-chan´s hair the raven looked at the blond.

"Heh, who knew Shizu-chan was a good kisser," and damn he was. There was just something to his eyes, something to the way he held him close yet precious-

"... Izaya-" the blond mumbled, but the flea wasn't going to let him finish whatever he was going to say as he smashed his lips against the blond´s once more. Too good was the feeling, too fast the heart beating inside his chest and too strong the nervous grip on his neck, threatening, knowing that the blond might as well push him away any second now.

hah, it was stupid, he was to put it simple, with what he was doing he might as well destroy whatever relationship they had had up till now- the trust, the feeling of being at ease-

And yet he couldn't help but give in to this desire for more that was suddenly overwhelming him.

Everything was suddenly Shizu-chan, everything on his mind, his eyes fixated on only him- it was as though the raven had only realized the blond had been here all this time now at this instant. Nothing mattered anymore all of a sudden, because he was here, he was with Shizu-chan, feeling him underneath his thighs, feeling his hands wrapping around his waist only to trail up his spine in a way that caused sensations the raven had never felt before.

The heat radiating from their lips and their tongues intertwining-

Panting and hot they parted after what felt like a few minutes of kissing- Izaya expected the blond to push him away, to realize what they had done just now or get mad for what he was doing even- but no one was complaining when Shizu-chan suddenly grabbed Izaya's thighs to push him closer and Izaya grabbed the hem of his shirt to kiss him again.

Heat was taking over his entire body and his throat went dry as he moved closer, trying to get more of that warmth, more of Shizu-chan-

And as soon as the idea had sparked his hands were already executing the action-

The blond groaned in pleasure, stopping the kissing for just a minute as there was suddenly a hand in his pants- he had no idea when that belt had become undone nor did he remember the raven opening his pants, but god damn that hand was going to drive him insane-

His eyes shooting up to the raven´s he was about to say something- what? He didn't remember, because the second he looked at that hungry expression the flea was wearing it was as though his mind had been completely wiped out.

Izaya was bold, he was moving on unknown terrain, and yet he just couldn't stop himself- he wanted more of Shizu-chan, he wanted to see more, to hear more- he knew Shizu-chan might as well fling him out of the window within a second but not much thought was spent on that fact as his eyes took on a glance to them that made a shudder run down the raven´s spine in want.

Fuck.

It was hot.

He was hot- feeling way too confined inside his shirt and pants all of a sudden. A harsh grip on Shizuo's part forced the two of them together only to leave Izaya groaning in want. Shizuo could feel Izaya's boner through his pants- that's how hard he had gotten and goddamn he would be lying if he said that didn't cause his own erection to jerk. Belts were unbuckled in a hurried fashion, all thoughts of rationality discarded as the blond ripped those pants away, tearing them off the raven´s skin.

With a soft yelp the raven found himself being lifted from the ground and propped against the broken billiard table within a matter of seconds. Those pants were yanked off his frame, the blond hovering above him and Izaya took the chance to pull at Shizuo's shirt, pull it up all the way- the blond remained still, leaving it to the raven to reveal his heated skin until he tossed it somewhere to the right and a hand sneaked around his neck to drag him down into another kiss.

Izaya was arching into Shizuo and Shizuo didn't even know what to do because hell he felt so fucking good-

Izaya´s thighs were suddenly lifting, wrapping around the blond´s waist as he arched his back. The soft sound of a billiard ball rolling towards Izaya was the only thing interrupting the raven rudely as he pushed it away with his hand- only for it to return with the same annoying sound, however.

The kiss was broken, the raven glaring at the devilish object of hell, but oh he shouldn't have broken that kiss because the blond had certainly noticed it too.

Hands suddenly wrapping around the raven´s waist he hoisted him up quicker than he could see it coming as he was pulled off the tilted table. With a soft thud the billiard table crashed to the ground once more, the balls rolling god knows where as the raven found himself being carried over to the couch-

Quicker than he thought that mattress was beneath his back and the blond- oh god the blond-

His eyes rolling back Izaya raised his wrist to muffle any noises his other hand clenching the bed sheets before reaching for Shizuo's hair.

He felt so good, so hot-

The entire room was spinning as he threw his head back into the sheets, that tongue swirling and sucking in a way that made the raven see stars-

His chest was heaving, his thighs spreading even wider until he shook, the blond suddenly having deepthroated him without warning and he grabbed his hair coming so hard he almost passed out-

"Fuck-" was the only shuddering breath that left his lips as Shizu-chan looked at him from below, wiping at his chin, that raging hard on between his legs.

Within a second the blond was hovering over him, just for a kiss, but Izaya still panting hard and trying to catch his breath used the chance to flips them over instead- surprising Shizuo to say the least.

He had intended to kiss the raven, maybe make him feel this good once more because fuck he had never seen anything hotter than the flea jerking as he came- but oh he certainly didn't see coming what the raven had on his mind next.

The raven as on his knees, hovering above the blond and for a second he thought he would lean down for kiss, but no- his hand slipping its way towards Izaya's face the raven was suddenly licking his fingers- slowly, and seductively, all while not leaving the blond´s eyes out of sight. Quiet and sexy they disappeared beneath those reddish lips before reappearing again- only to trail back to where the came from- or rather even farther.

The blond´s eyes darkened at the sight of Izaya's face twisting in pleasure as one of those fingers suddenly disappeared inside his ass.

Swallowing hard the blond´s grip on Izaya's thighs tightened as he watched that finger move- in and out-

"What are you-" he asked, but a gaso falling from Izaya's lips was rendering him speechless right away.

A glance was thrown, the raven looked at the blond, looking him right into the eyes as he forced another finger inside the tight entrance. his eyes were lidding, barely keeping open as he moaned- "Shizu-chan I want you inside me."

If Shizuo hand´t already been hard as a rock at that point in time then he sure as hell would have been now, because that was about the most erotic thing he had ever seen happen before his eyes.

"If you want to stop and tell me this is a mistake, now would be the right time to," the raven continued with a soft chuckle and yet suddenly there was a hint of insecurity glazing over these brilliant crimson eyes-

It drove the blond insane- Izaya didn't even need to say any more because suddenly there was a hand on his cock, stroking it up and down repeatedly in a fashion that made his mouth fall open with a gasp.

"Fuck-" he was moaning, writhing, those fingers shoving in and out of his body as he added a third- by now it was only Shizuo´s grip on the flea´s waist keeping him upright that prevented the flea from dropping onto his stomach. He was a moaning mess-

Glancing down at him from above and the way his brows creased into that furrowed line of pleasure only made the blond even harder-

"Have you ever done this?" he found himself asking not once leaving that hand, moving faster and faster behind the flea´s back out of sight.

The raven´s eyes furrowed in pleasure, as he shook his head softly,

"Not quite-" Fuck.

That only made Shizuo want the flea even more- it made him want to drive the flea to ecstasy, he wanted to make him scream-

And suddenly Izaya's hand was back on the bed, both of them, keeping himself upright as he caught his breath for a second. His whole body was sensitive, shuddering from want as he leant down- but oh he wasn't doing so for a kiss-

Biting his earlobe the raven was suddenly at Shizu-chan´s ears, his hot breath ghosting across the shell as he whispered, "Fuck me, Shizu-chan-"

And damn the blond didn't need any more instructions than that as his grip on the flea´s hips tightened just a bit harder.

Leaning up he caught the raven's lips in a kiss- the raven slipping back and god that dick was suddenly rubbing against the flea's ass. Shuddering softly his gaze lifted and he looked at the blond- his head tilted, the blond took the chance to kiss it, and then it was there.

Gasping and shuddering the raven arched his back, his hands clenching the blond´s shoulders as that huge rod slid slowly inside his hole.

Agonizingly slow he pushed inside the raven- causing the flea to shake, moan and writhe in pleasure-

It was the last jerk, shoving that cock inside the raven to the hilt that had both of them moaning hard- sweat was glistening on their bodies, their breaths too fast as they searched for each others lips- Shizuo's hand now resting on Izaya's thighs, his thumb drawing patterns on the smooth skin before letting them trail back to his waist.

Fuck the flea was so hot.

He could hear him panting harshly, that erection jerking, before he even knew what he was doing his hand was already wrapping around it, stroking and moving in a fashion that made the flea groan in the assault of pleasure-

Before he knew it he was coming again all across his stomach-

Pants were filling the air, the raven´s forehead pressed against the blond´s shoulder as he tried to catch his breath.

The blond swallowed, not sure what he was supposed to do, no, rather what he was allowed to do, because he really felt the need to thrust inside Izaya, he wanted to move hear more of that sweet voice breathing into his ear. But he had to slow down a bit-

A sudden thought crossed his mind, remembering the conversation they had held outside the library.

"Ne, Izaya what's your type?" Izaya's eyes snapped open again for a mere moment as he registered the words the blond was speaking. A snort fell from his lips as he lifted his head to gaze at the blond.

"You ask me that _now_?" he was shuddering, trembling in pleasure his fingers threading through the blond softness that was Shizu-chan´s hair.

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

Seriously- the blond´s timing was just….

Izaya paused, his gaze lingering on the blond´s lips for a moment before trailing back up to his face.

So serious and curious. Well why should he not give a serious answer for once?

"Maybe because the description in my head before, sounded an awful lot like you."

And damn that was the right decision-

The blond leaned forward and their lips almost smashed into each other in pure want.

This was crazy, somewhat. What were they doing and yet Izaya couldn't see a fault in it.

Hands travelling all across the blond´s body Izaya kissed the blond back passionately- long and deep, and suddenly the blond´s hands were on his waist, heaving him up just the slightest bit as he pulled him closer- Izaya's fingers dug harshly inside the blondś blond hair as a moan ripped from his lips, because the new angle, had made Shizu-chan slid inside just that bit deeper-

"Fuck-" the blond couldn't hold back any longer, he wanted the flea, he wanted him so bad-

"Shizu-chahngh-!" he choked on his words as his eyes rolled back- Shizuo moved, quick, deep he thrust inside the information, making him feel like he had never felt before-

And somehow this wasn't just a feeling of lust overwhelming Izaya. It wasn't just the pure need or sexual tension. It was just Shizu-chan.

His whole mind revolving around him, around how close they were about the way the blond was looking at him, the way they were interacting on a daily basis now, everything was just screaming Shizu-chan in his mind.

This wasn't just a slip up or the product of drinking too much wine.

He felt so hot, so good deep within, it was something he never experienced-

"Fuck-" he panted, tried to get his voice in control, but it was no use-

"So good-" every thrust was just aimed so well, every grunt breathed into his ear just turned him on so much more-

"Izaya-" Shizuo groaned, his voice creaking halfway as his grip on the flea´s hip tightened-

"I´m close-" the pace was fastening, the flea´slips falling open in a silent chant of moans as he squeezed his eyes shut-

He could feel it, collecting in his belly, this feeling-

"Too-"

Faster, harder- he could hear the sounds of skin slapping against each other- he could hear the raven´s choked moans as his voice failed him- Shizu-chan´s name on his lips and then his back arched-

A breathless Shizu-chan left his lips as the blond groaned in pleasure, fucking the raven right through his shaking orgasm-

Spasms were keeping them groaning and moaning as they both bathed in the afterglow of what they had just done.

Izaya was breathing hard, his grip on the blond still tight.

"Fuck-" there was no answer more eloquent to express what he was feeling at the moment. This time words were just failing him as he simply leant against the blond. Breathing, resting.

"You okay and all?" Shizuo breathed concerned causing the raven to snort even while still being out of breath.

"I'm more than okay Shizu-chan-" he breathed.

Shizuo was still above him, leaning on one elbow, brushing his hair aside with his other.

The whole room smelled like sex now-

Closing his eyes Izaya suddenly realized what they had just done- just what ahh-

What did he do?

What did _they_ do-

"Regretting it?" he asks with his eyes still closed, trying to even out his breathing as he didn't know what to make of the face Shizu-chan was making. Somehow he was feeling an emotion he hadn't felt in a really long time- fear. But not the kind he felt towards those shitty assholes running through the streets no.

Fear of rejection.

They had been out on the streets alone for so long, the blond had seen so many precious people die- maybe he just needed to vent- maybe this was just another way of coping.

Dreadful and fast all these possibilities popped up inside Izaya's mind the more time passed. Until Shizu-chan replied that is.

"Why should I?" The question was so simple, yet also so Shizu-chan like it made the raven chuckle softly despite the uneasiness he was feeling.

"I don't know maybe because I'm Izaya and you are Shizuo?" he tried with a smile, but his heart was in a turmoil- and this time it wasn't because he was trying to manipulate Shizu-chan, but because Shizu-chan was manipulating him.

Making the flea think he was precious, someone he didn't want to let go- all this. It was his fault he was such a mess at the moment- in more than one way.

Izaya had developed feelings for Shizu-chan. He didn't know when it happened nor could he pinpoint how it even did- but he knew it. He didn't do this just for the need of closeness or craving of contact, no, but because of Shizu-chan himself.

But then Shizu-chan was leaning down, that forehead resting on his shoulder as he mumbled.

"I'm not regretting it _because_ you are you." His head was lifted, a smile all across his face, and Izaya found himself thinking that the blond hadn´t looked this happy ever since they met inside this mess.

Hands were suddenly wrapping around the flea and he was pulled close once more, gentle, yet firm.

He could feel Shizu-chan´s hair tickle his neck and that fast heartbeat matching his own

making the raven feel something that he couldn't even start to decipher.

"So you aren't gonna avoid me now?" the raven questioned with a soft chuckle, thinking he already knew the answer this time.

But oh, Shizu-chan wouldn't be Shizu-chan if he didn´t manage to surprise him each and every time.

"Hell no, someone´s gotta beat you at billiard." Laughter filled the air at the response.

The sun had set, there were noises of the nightly beasts rummaging outside in the streets, but none of that mattered at the moment.

The only thing that did was that angelic voice laughing so freely in Shizuo's arms.

**To be continued~ C:**

**Well then people SORRRYYYY I haven't updated in ages xD I really dunno how to apologize argh- well I hope the glorious smut made up for that xD And this chapter being a freaking long ass chapter C:C:C: over 7000 words holy shit- xDD Lol i kinda thought i could pull off university studies and writing right of the bat at the start of the new semester but hell x'D i was proved wrong xDDDD now I'm back on track and I have a new plan regarding the updates~! C: I´m thinking of finishing two of my six ongoing stories real quick so I don´t have so many ongoing stories at the same time anymore C': that means updates are going to come out way more frequently on each of the stories xD but in order for that to happen I have to finish the two stories- namely I´m talking about "a single touch" and "behind closed doors" here C:**

**So the plan is the following:**

**NOVEMBER 2017**

Sinful Desire (19/~30)

13th November 2017

The wish to disappear (45/~60)

17th November 2017

A single touch (11/14)

21st November 2017

A single touch (12/14)

25th November 2017

A single touch (13/14)

28th November 2017

**DECEMBER 2017**

A single touch END (14/14)

1st December 2017

Behind closed doors (27/31)

5th December 2017

Behind closed doors (28/31)

8th December 2017

Behind closed doors (29/31)

11th December 2017

Behind closed doors (30/31)

14th December 2017

Behind closed doors END (31/31)

17th December 2017

Sinful Desire (20/~30)

20th December 2017

Let it snow (3/3)

24th December 2017

**Survival of the doomed (31/~45)**

**27th December 2017**

**And starting 27th December I will be updating sotd faster than ever before~! xD well then sowy for the long delay and for another fairly longish waiting time C': See you in December~!**


	31. --๑-๑ ஜ ๑- Cozy cozy - -๑ ஜ ๑-๑--

**  
** **\---Izaya´s point of view.---**

Ah it was warm. Fresh. 

Feeling a hearty yawn come up his throat the raven rubbed at his eyes. 

Sunlight was forcing its way inside the room through a few creaks left beneath the shelf they had used to cover the huge window up with. 

Sadly the Ray of light had been aiming straight at Izaya's face, waking him up earlier than he had wanted to. 

Wanting to sit up straight he put his hand onto the bed sheets- bed sheet that were not soft and fluffy but oddly warm and smooth. 

Twisting his head he glanced to his side- 

Ah. 

Shizu-chan. 

Right next to him he was laying there, sleeping just how Izaya had imagined the brute to sleep like. The blanket had been somewhat trapped between his feet, barely even covering any part of his body and those hands were sprawled anyway, the pillow almost falling off the mattress edge, and his face shoved into the pillow that had belonged to Izaya. 

Suppressing the need to laugh at this admittingly somewhat strange sight the raven refrained from waking the blond up. 

It was close to a miracle that he had been able to fall asleep next to a restless sleeper like him thought. 

Shizu-chan´s arm was draped across the raven´s waist, seeming as though he wanted to claim, hey, this is my flea, even during his sleep. 

Eyes narrowing to a soft gaze the raven decided that he didn't need to get up yet- well not that he could with that arm having chosen him as the perfect pillow. 

.. and it wasn't like he wanted to either. 

Letting his eyes slip shut once more he just relished in this raremoment of peace, this feeling of warmth, it reminded him of old summer days out in the nature being shone upon by the sweet sun and having no worry in the world. 

Opening his eyes again he looked towards the blocked window. 

That's right, their only worries were residing in that shop next to the school. Seeing how strong the sun was gleaming today they wouldn't dare come out till night fell. 

Feeling bold the raven rolled a bit to the left, onto the blond to say more precise. 

The brute was still sleeping, not even noticing the additional weight on top of his back. 

it was- strange, or rather new. 

This kind of thing. Cuddling or even just sleeping next to someone was something the flea hadn't done so far. 

Not to mention the actions they had chosen the day before. Resting his chin on the blond´s shoulder he blew a breath of air across the blond´s ear in an attempt to wake him up. 

A soft groan was all that followed- obviously the blond wasn't quite willing to be awake yet. Feeling that mischievous smile sneak back on his face the raven leaned a bit lower blowing again. 

A grunt followed, and then the sleepy blond moved, raising his head in confusion as he squinted against the light. 

“Good morning, Shizu-chan~” the raven chirped well too aware that the blond would have probably preferred to sleep longer than till sunrise. 

The head was twisted, a frown appearing on the blond´s face before burying it inside the pillow once more. 

“Hnn, not yet,” he muffled into the soft fabric deeming that it was way too early to be alive yet. 

A snort escaped the raven´s lips at the sight and he merely took the complaint as an invitation to poke the blond´s cheek. 

“First you don't want to sleep and now you won't get up? You seriously are the epitome of contradictions,” he announced, one eyebrow risen as the blond turned his head to glance at the raven somewhat groggily. 

“Can't help it you are comfortable,” he merely announced, pulling the flea closer with that arm of his, surprising the raven just a bit. 

"Geez And you are supposed to be the fortissimo of Ikebukuro? More like the sleeping beauty of Ikebukuro." A snort resounded, followed by a pretty disbelieving gaze. 

"You aren´t seriously comparing me to that sleeping princess-" Shizuo repeated, still groggy but awake enough to notice the flea was making fun of him. 

A smirk was drawing across his expression as he tilted his head. 

"Well looking at your face I bet the sleepy princess didn´t frown as much as you. I bet she was more graceful~"

"Graceful like what?" the blond questioned never having though that a sleeping person could even look graceful. 

"Like me~?" the raven grinned, pointing at himself in that confident fashion the blond was already used to see. 

the pillow the raven had been resting upon suddenly developing life in itself dashed away from underneath his elbow as the blond had tucked it away, causing the raven's head to thud back into the pillow and his back to nearly tilt over across the edge of the bed, resulting in a pretty funny if not awkward fight against gravitation. 

"Indeed very graceful,” the blond commented with a grin.

"You-!" And the pillow was thrown quickly, aiming at the blond, but ah this time Shizu-chan was the winner as he ducked away and hopped out of bed instead. 

Letting his head thud back into the mattress the raven closed his eyes for a second, just enjoying this brief moment of peace. 

It was so cozy, comfortable- Izaya didn't know it was possible to feel this at ease with someone so close to him. Usually his mind would be rotating over possibilities of how this situation could end, what would happen to both of them from now on, what consequences their action had and yet- right now he was really just not giving a fuck. 

Shizu-chan had been around for so long, he had given his best to not only not hurt him but also help if not even comfort the raven. Be it the loss of his siblings or… the aversion he had of those disgusting creatures. 

Swallowing his grip on the sheets tightened just a bit as the all too rosy surroundings got a harsh hint of reality back. 

Right. Those things were still out there. Waiting, hungry. It was when Shizu-chan´s curse reached his ears that Izaya blinked reverting his attention to the present. 

“Oh shit-”

Lifting his head the raven glanced past the blond wondering what it was that Shizu-chan was swearing about- only to see the table he had been working on having shifted by a couple centimeters. 

Standing in a different place was not what put the blond off though, but rather a couple of pretty fragile looking vials that had tilted over and broken right on the desk. 

The contents of said fragile glass objects was now mixing with each other and forming a puddle of wasted and failed research. 

The puddle was partly dried up however, and the remains in the vials having mixed with each other had no worth. 

“Was that me?” Shizu-chan questioned, a hand rubbing on his neck as he looked at the mess he had created. 

The raven hummed as he approached, and tried to remember, but certainly yep, there had been a moment the blond had almost stumbled- 

“Well now I know at least what you bumped me into,” he replied picking up one of the many glass shards. 

To be honest he wasn't even mad about it. Sure he had been researching and trying to find an antidote but for one thing that was but a mere start, it wasn't like Shizu-chan just destroyed a years worth of work. 

And besides...

“Damn, sorry-” Shizuo mumbled a guilty frown appearing on his face. 

“I can just create a new test round.” Blinking the blond turned to look at the raven, who actually really seemed like he didn't give a fuck about the broken vials. 

“If… you say so,” he mumbled, having no idea what the flea had even been doing here exactly. Chemics had never been his favourite subject nor had he gotten to wrap his head around those confusing equations of Oxygen, Polypropylene or whatever. 

Though he almost would have bet on the fact that izaya probably had always liked this sort of things. Sure he skipped school a lot, being busy getting on his nerves and all, but he did somehow ace the entire high school- which only pissed the blond off even more at that time. 

Glancing to the side he looked at the raven that was now collecting some of the shards. He was wearing nothing but a new set of pants- that he had chosen to wear for some reason.

Lifting his gaze his eyes travelled to that… not exactly professionally stitched wound the blond had created. It seemed to be healing, but the sight was still somewhat disturbing, not looking like anything close to what Shinra would have done. 

to be honest he had wondered why Izaya hadn't ripped that shit out again and fixed himself anew. 

… no that would have probably been worse for his injury right? And wouldn't people pass out if they did that sort of thing? 

Shizuo wouldn't really know, over the years he got so used to feel pain every now and then the feeling of it was somewhat numb to his senses. When someone stabbed him with a blade or he broke a bone again he was used to the feeling of it as if he had merely hit his knee or something, so stitching himself up, or trying to fix a wound with glue or tape was something he had already tried to do when he didn't want to bother Shinra again. 

"Does it still hurt or something?" the blond questioned, letting his fingers brush across the fine skin softly. 

A bit surprised the raven blinked, not yet used to the blond acting so…… not brutish, before he shook his head with a smirk. 

“Never thought the monster would worry so much about the fleaish me,” he hummed, leaning against the desk- to be honest, Shizu-chan was surprising the raven nonstop. inside that hospital he thoughts Shizuo would just leave him behind. Yesterday he thought he would shove him away but he didn't, obviously hating him not as much anymore as he used to- and then he thought Shizu-chan might as well stop because of his worried about Izaya being injured and all, but neither did he do that. 

"There was never any reason to even start worrying over you,” the blond merely shrugged, remembering way too well just how many signs, vending machines or cars he had thrown at the louse and sometimes even hit him with and he still didn't go down. 

"Heh, Shizu-chan you make it sound like I'm some sort of god that cannot be defeated. Not that I don't like it,” the raven purred, only causing the blond to snort though. 

"God my ass, you are like a roach, not getting down even if being stepped upon." Cringing the raven frowned as he looked at the blond. 

"Shizu-chan honestly speaking I prefer flea over roach,” he announced, remembering all too disgusted just how many roaches he had seen crawl on the streets or across human bodies ever since the zombie virus had spread around. 

Shizu-chan didn't seem to have in mind to cease his teasing yet though. 

"Hoh, is that so roach?" he repeated, mentioning that despised word again just to be annoying. 

"Don't you dare-" the raven glared, although in a playful fashion as he almost waited for the blond to say it one more time. 

Honestly, Shizuo felt like he was playing with a cat that was already wagging its tail. 

"How about cockroac-" okay he definitely hadn't seen aht pillow come out of nowhere! When did Izaya pick it up from the floor? 

the end of the word being muffled he suddenly found himself being jumped and pushed to the ground- a book suddenly at hand, grabbed from the billiard table that was still looking like someone had had a fight with it. 

The book was oddly held just in the same way Izaya used to hold his flick blade against izaya's neck in their chases- and the best part was he even had the same glint in his eyes he used to have back then. 

“Beware Shizu-chan, you  are dealing with me here,” the raven grinned, that challenging smirk again on his lips.  

Withdrawing the book he threw it back to the pile the tilted stack had created the day before. Flying through the air Shizuo could catch a glimpse of the title even, hehe he had tried to kill him with Moby dick. 

not quite as threatening as his blades used to be- and sitting on top of him wearing nothing but his underpants was also somehow warping the picture making the blond laugh instead. 

the raven tilted his head, not really knowing what was going on in Shizuo´s head. 

“What's so funny?” 

“You,” the blond sighed, “us.” Binking the raven looked at the blond, tilted his head ot the left, to the right, Shizuo swore he could almost see and hear him think about what he said.

".... okay now I lost track- what are you talking about now?" 

"Back in Ikebukuro,” Shizuo started, “before all of this you know…” Ended, was the word he was going to say, but seeing how they were still struggling to stay alive saying it out loud like this almost seemed like giving up. So he decided not to say it, the flea would know what he meant anyway. “It´s just,” he sighed, “I´m sorry I never gave you a chance."

At least that's the way he felt because from the very first second he had laid eyes onto that raven he had declared he hated him, sure it was his guts telling him so but he had no reason to- if he had given Izaya a chance, just how he somewhat had by trusting him in this mess, wouldn't things have turned out a different way? 

Snorting and laughter was reaching his ears though as the raven shook his head. 

"Oh, don´t be I deliberately made you hate me so that´s for that,” he said, while crossing his elbows on top of that pillow that was still resting on Shizuo´s chest. “Besides. It was fun to see you raging like a bull through the city. I would have never learned parkour this well if I didn't have this monster here chase after me, actually out for my life,” the raven explained, causing the blond to frown just a bit in doubt. 

“Seriously?” 

“But of course!” Izaya threw in with a vehement nod, “And without that skill I mightn't have had all the best cards with the zombies running around out there,” he continued, almost sounding like he was trying to convince the blond that what he had been doing was actually good. “So if you look at it that way you probably saved my life in a way.” Snorting the blond could do nothing but shake his head at the flea´s explanation on how trying to kill him saved him. 

“What? It's true if you think about it in a logical fashion,” the raven threw in with a hint of sarcasm inside his voice. 

“How on earth is that logical?” he snorted, but Shizuo already knew it, the flea was just trying to cheer him up. Just like he always did ever since they decided to team up. 

he was looking out for him at all times, just like Shizuo as looking out for the flea. 

 

**to be continued ho ho ho C: xD**

**Sorry for being gone so long oh my goodness OAO I seriously didn't notice how fast time flew by studying and all x’D**

 

**Now my dear people, …….. enjoy this chapter xDDD read it, love it, be glad it's so sweet and calm and…. happy- because… OHOHOHOHOHOHO C: Soon . . . C: Lol I wanna spoiler you but I can't xD**

**Something is approaching C:**

**Let´s just say you will curse me <3 C: xDDDD**

 

**On a different matter, people! I am curious! I have the feeling the Shizaya fandom is growing smaller and smaller x’D And I haven't been updating a lot recently so I'm wondering how many of you are still reading or interested in this story/the pairing? xD**

**Like, am I writing for 5 people? or 50? 500?? (lol joke) xD**

 

**I'm really curious, so:**

 

**////// if YOU are reading this chapter/////**

**///////leave me a “Still there buddy” in the comments x’D ////////**

 

**Haha depending on how many people are actually reading this I might adjust my writing schedule for this story actually :3 Lol whether that's good or bad depends on you guys x’D**

 

**Well then, no matter the outcome of this see you guys in the next update on 1st February 2018~!**

 

**PS.: I have been thinking of starting a little doodle drawing sketch shit thing on my instagram account, (in February) so if ya wanna check that out (again in february lol there is still time till then xD)**

**thefeather_shirohimesstories**

**that's my name on there xD**


	32. --๑-๑ ஜ ๑- Shock - -๑ ஜ ๑-๑--

 

**\---Shizuo´s point of view.---**

“It's so freaking cold,” it was the blond who was complaining. They had just gotten out of the shower within the school- of course they had checked the rooms beforehand as to whether there was one of these shitheads hiding there. But they were alone, left in peace for once. 

“Aww does Shizu-chan hate showering cold?” the raven snickered, still standing beneath the dripping water and just enjoying his shower. Knowing the luxury of being able to enjoy something as simple as this Izaya took his time to relish in it. 

“Cold showers are the worst,” the blond grumbled, taking one of the towels that were resting in a cupboard not too far from the shower. It was morning still, well or rather close to midday judging from how far the sun was already up. 

“It's just water Shizu-chan,” the raven snorted, stepping out of the shower with quick steps. 

The blond was already starting to dress himself in the bartender suit the flea had given to him as his birthday present. So far he had managed to keep it stainless. So far. 

Glancing over he looked at the flea that was taking his favourite fluffy coat of a hook on the wall. He had hung it there before going into the shower, and being dressed in his usual black pants and black shirt he added the last piece of cloth to his attire. 

“Say Izaya what do we do now?” Fixing the fur around his neck the raven shrugged, glancing towards a window that was lighting the room up with the sun´s rays gleaming through. 

He could see a part of the street, and a certain shop not too far from them. 

“I vote for killing the assholes next to the school. I feel uncomfortable knowing they are there,” he announced, feeling the unpleasant sensation of a shudder travelling down his back at the memory of the monsters that were lurking in the shadows and waiting to eat them alive. 

“I wasn't talking about that actually,” the blond suddenly said, making the raven twist his head to glance at the blond. 

Oh. 

“Hmmm, is that so?“ he purred, a smirk on his lips as he realized what the blond meant. Of all the things that had changed and twisted since the zombie apocalypse happened he certainly liked this development the most. “Are you waiting for something specific~?” the raven questioned, and seriously, it sounded like a challenge. 

Snorting the blond couldn't help but shake his head. 

Of course- he could have expected that. Like the flea was going to be easy or simple for once. 

“I wonder,” Shizuo said, buttoning that white shirt up that he was putting on. His hair was still wet, dripping some droplets of water onto his skin that travelled down his neck and to his shirt. 

A snort was all that followed and before the blond knew it he found a towel thrown at his face. 

“Okay, so the first point is killing those zombies for today?” he repeated the raven´s words, also casting a glance towards that window the raven had been looking out of. 

“Yeah, the sooner they die the better,” Izaya announced, flicking his flick blade out of his coat as if to reassure that it was still there and usable in worst case. 

“That will be dangerous though,” Shizuo threw in- he didn't like the idea of the raven going outside at all, and even less did he like the idea of visiting these monsters to finish them off. 

Sure they were prepared, they knew about their weakness, namely sunlight, but still. 

“The sun is up we can just lure them out and you smash them with a cupboard like last time,” the raven shrugged and Shizuo couldn't help but frown softly at the nonchalant way the raven was talking about this. 

He knew well enough just how scared he was of these creatures, so pretending to not give a fuck wasn't exactly putting the blond at ease there. 

He was talking about the time they dropped by in that pharmacy. True, that zombie had been fairly easy to kill and not dangerous at all, staying in the shadows like it did. 

But it had also caused the flea to lose it, to panic or something the blond wasn't quite sure what it had been that had been going on on Izaya's mind but it definitely wasn't anything positive. 

And yet, once those assholes were gone Izaya would be able to sleep peacefully again. 

“Okay,” he sighed, admitting defeat. Knowing that the flea had his reasons he knew he wasn't going to back down from his idea anyway. And hey, once those bastards were killed it would be just a little bit saver around where they lived for now. 

It was an argument worth considering. 

Seeing the raven walk out of the bathroom and straight towards the entrance of the school the blond followed quickly, not being quite as fast when it came to dressing up as izaya seemed to be. 

The sun was gleaming strongly, immersing everything in an unusually heat for this time of the year, but the heat was welcomed especially considering that Shizuo´s hair was still wet, dripping from its ends. He hadn't even had enough time to dry himself for fucks sake. 

“Are you in a hurry or something?” the blond somewhat complained as he caught up to Izaya. The raven merely shrugged- 

“The sooner they are dead, the sooner I can rest assured.” 

Certainly. 

Creaking the entrance of the school slipped back shut, the huge leaves falling into its hinges as the walked onto the street. 

there it was, that cursed building. 

Despite the strength the sun was putting into illuminating the entire scenery it wasn't quite able to filled that shadowy shady building with the precious light the blond and Izaya wanted it to. 

“Who is going first?” the blond questioned, reaching into his pocket only to realize that there was no cigarette waiting for him in there. 

Ah dang he should have taken some with him from the library. his birthday cigarettes. he couldn't help but smile at the thought of smoking them later. 

“We aren't going to do it this way, idiot,” the raven snorted, confusing the blond just a bit. He had already been about to rip a sign out of the pavement when the flea dropped the words. 

“How then?” he questioned, letting go of the innocent metal rod that had managed to escape his monstrous strength. 

“We are going to use the sun, break the ceiling and the light will burn them all alive without us needing to get too close,” izaya explained- and dang. 

As expected the flea was way smarter than Shizuo- he had been about to walk into the building and just bash every single zombies head in- Izaya's idea was the more practical one here. This idea was certainly the wiser option. 

“Okay, but you stay here okay?” meeting a soft frown as the raven rose an eyebrow Shizuo already knew he could get really to win a little argument. 

“I can help at least a bit you know,” Izaya snorted, somewhat offended the blond thought he couldn´t be of any use here. 

he had been the to suggest killing these monsters so of course he was going to take part in that eradication as well. 

“No, if you go in there I will just be distracted,” Shizuo tried to explain, and it certainly was one reason he had for his request- the other well.. 

“Aw, looking out for me? That's not necessary,” Izaya purred, but the solid stare Shizu-chan was giving him stayed serious. Shizu-chan wasn't joking around there and it wasn't just him trying to concentrate on killing zombies. 

“Hey, we both know I'm best at wracking buildings right?” 

… 

That wasn't what this was about and Shizu-chan know that well enough. And yet it wasn't like he could blame Shizu-chan for wanting to get him away from anything that could come close enough to crack one more of his rips again. 

Admitting defeat the raven sighed as he let himself slump down onto a piece of rubbish. 

“Alright, bust the place up monster~” he joked, warily glancing towards those broken windows. To be honest he wasn't even that fed up about not having to go anywhere near that building. 

He hated to admit it, but the thought of having to go even near there was still sending unpleasant shudders down his spine.  

Executing the plan as Izaya had explained it to the blond Shizuo approached the building. A sign was ripped from the ground and smashed into one of the supporting pillars of the building- crashing sounds and the dusts were sent up into the air followed by a couple screams of the creatures seemingly having noticed that their end was near. 

It didn't take long for the brute to pull that sign back out of the broken concrete and smash it into the other corner of the building. Crashing and breaking the ceiling finally came down, crashing the monsters underneath. 

Struggling, screeching they were trying to crawl out of the pile of rubbish that the room now was, but the moment they did the devilish rays on the sun brunt death into their eyes and killed them all off in one clean sweep. 

Not having noticed that the raven had been clinging harshly to his coat he easened the tight grip and tried to relax.

They were dead. All of them- at least the ones that were hiding next to the school. 

“Satisfied now?” Shizu-chan questioned with a grin, that cigarette still dangling from his lips as he turned around on that pile of rubbish, the sign still at hand. 

“Very,” Izaya responded- finally he could relax- the things were dead. They were all dead. 

Except they were not. 

“GNARGH-!” a head shot out between the pieces of rubbish next to Shizu-chan- too fast to move too fast to react too fast to even say anything to yell the blond´s name as the creature rammed its teeth into the blond´s arm. 

Cracking the skull of the monster went flying, the blond having knocked it right of its shoulders- 

Blood was pouring everywhere- the blond´s heart beating so fast he thought he was going to pass out as he looked at his arm. 

Horrified Izaya could do nothing but stare, look at Shizu-chan- his throat was constricting, his lungs painfully screaming for air but he couldn't breath- 

He felt like he was choking. 

The fabric was torn apart in a violent fashion revealing the skin of the blond´s arm underneath. Everything had went way too fast- Izaya hadn't even been able to move that horrifying sight of teeth, dirty, bloody, biting down on Shizu-chan´s arm. 

“Fuck that was close,” barely even reaching the raven´s ears as a loud ringing sound was blocking out almost everything Izaya managed to look back up at the blond- a blond that was smiling at him. 

He was holding up his arm, showing no signs of a bite wound. The creature- it hadn't managed to bite through the fabric of Shizuo´s shirt. 

Shizu-chan was smiling, was relieved obviously- but Izaya was not. Izaya was choking, his throat was still constricting.  

It was at that moment that Izaya realized how fast they could die after all. How quick things could come to an end. 

It was like this bubble they had been in had suddenly popped and burst. 

"It bit you,” he whispered with dry lips, his voice cracking barely at the statement. 

"Yeah, but that didn't go through the vest so-" the blond threw in smiling assuring as he walked over- 

"YOU GOT BITTEN SHIZU-CHAN!” and paused in his steps. The raven was yelling, actually screaming at him, “DON'T ACT LIKE IT'S NO BIG DEAL!" He was furious, his eyes were wide in anger- horror, maybe it was both. 

"How can you even smile?!" Izaya's voice had dropped considerably but the desperation was still layered thick inside it. 

"... Izaya?" the blond said, snapping the raven out of his daze as he turned around in a rush. 

Seeing the raven walk away the blond dropped the sign and dashed after- he didn't need to be a genius to know that the flea wasn't okay right now. 

He had almost caught up, was about to say the flea´s name again in an attempt of making him stop walking, but the raven did s by himself, turning around only to shove the blond away. 

Hard. 

Shizu-chan could have died.

The thought terrified Izaya- Shizuo could have died just like that.

His heart was pounding he felt nauseous

He felt as though something was crushing his heart

This- was dangerous.

What if something really happened to Shizu-chan?

"Izaya-"

What if he got bitten?

"Hey, Izaya-"

Would he still be able to leave him behind like it didn't matter?

The familiar feeling of a hand wrapping around his wrist made the raven flinch away from the touch, and angry glare settled on his face as he looked at the worried blond. 

"Look, I'm sorry- I didn't get bitten on purpose I just-"

"No one gets bitten on purpose Shizu-chan,” the raven commented, bitter, angry. It wasn't even like he was angry at Shizu-chan. No, the blond had no fault, this could have happened to anyone and yet- 

He just didn't know what to do with this devastating feeling. This feeling of losing control losing what he thought he had, losing Shizu-chan. 

It was so unbearably cold. 

Like a brick reality had smashed into his face, making him realize just how dangerous their situation still was. 

What had they even been thinking? Fooling around as if they were save, acting as though everything was going to be okay when it was not? 

“izaya wait-” but Izaya wasn´g going to stop. not now not when he felt this intense urge to run, to do something anyway thing, just so he wouldn't go insane at the incredible feeling up being out of control. 

The door to the school was pushed open and the flea walked back to their room. the library, that place that was supposed to be save. 

Shizuo was right behind him. 

“Izaya wait up a second,” he requested, closing the door to the library as the raven had walked back inside their small home. 

But he didn't seem to be listening, the opposite, his eyes were distant his expression motionless as he glanced at the blond. 

He wasn't in the mood to talk, he wasn't in the mood to interact with the blond at all at the moment. 

He was about to tell him to leave, to tell him to just go away when his eyes settled on something different. Something that had been nothing but a pile of rubbish jelly and liquids mixed with each other in the morning and that was now clear and white on top of his desk. 

"Shizu-chan look-" following the raven´s gaze the blond glanced at the table next to him, seeing how much the liquids he had accidentally spilt had changed since they were gone. 

“It killed the virus-” Izaya whispered and Shizuo's eyes widened in surprise at those words- he glanced at the flea, glanced back at the table, he had no idea of chemicals or anything like that but if izaya said it killed the virus didn't that mean- 

“It works?” was this the antidote the raven had been searching for, was this what was going to make everyone normal again? 

A shrug was all that followed however as the raven approached the desk. There was one of the test tubes, tilted slightly but containing a fair amount of the clear substance. 

“We don't exactly have a human to test it on Shizu-chan,” the raven mumbled while pulling one of the drawers of the desk open. There were a couple syringes inside it. Fresh, not used on anything yet. 

“What would happen if it doesn't work?” Shizuo asked, hope still lingering in his voice, after all, this was it right? This was what was going to save them! 

“Worst case? It would work just like being bitten by those assholes,” the raven informed, using one of the syringes he had found to suck some of the clear liquid into it. 

“Can´t we like.. test it on rats?” Shizuo questined, watching how the raven collected this precious thing they had created- well or rather that Izaya had created. 

“Not possible,” was all the aven stated though, lifting the syringe to look at it with the light shining inside the cylindrical shape of the syringe. 

“Rats are not humans Shizu-chan. Even if it works on animals it might not work on humans still.” Frowning the blond looked at the clear liquid- but weren't those scientific people always tasting shit on animals? 

"How about monkeys?" He saw that on tv, monkeys being used to look whether a serious illnesses could be cured. 

"I would love for you to find me a monkey Shizu-chan,” the raven mumbled, and even though it sounded like one of his usual teases and jokes this time it just lacked emotion. The raven was so cold. 

A if he just didn't care anymore. 

“.. so then…”

“We need to test it on a human,” the raven confirmed his thoughts, only making the blond´s guts churn all the more. On a human? Just who were they going to test this one? 

That woman they had met earlier popped up in his mind but there was no way he could give her that antidote knowing she might as well transform into a zombie taking it. Or did they have to give it to someone that was already infected? 

"Well if we find someone that's already infected, then we can try giving it to that person,” he stated, after all there were more than enough candidates walking around outside for that. 

But the raven shook his head nonetheless. 

"It's an antidote Shizu-chan, it will only work on non infected humans- and moreover this will only survive for a few hours. If we don't test it on a human now we won't get another chance." 

That was the hard truth. Just the fact that this antidote had created itself just by accidentally spilling these various samples into each other was already a miracle in itself. Izaya doubted he would be able to create this again within a time span they would both manage to survive in. 

After all, everything could be over any moment. There was no time to waste. 

He already knew it was futile to try and survive much longer with no chance of rescue in sight. Because no matter what- living like this, it was like they were both labeled with an expiration date.

One of these days one of them would be infected

Either him

... or Shizu-chan.

“Heh, I am at my wits end anyway-” were the words that left Izaya's lips and Shizuo felt as though the world came crashing down in his stomach as that needle pierced Izaya's skin. 

 

**To be continued~**

 

**DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNN xDDDDD Lmao who would have seen that coming? xDD ohohohoho now what´s going to happen~? I wonder ehehehehe C: C: C: C: xD see you next chapter~!**

 

**BTW!!! We have a WINNER *0*0*0*0*0**0***

 

**And hey you will be very happy to hear that “Survival of the doomed” won the draw with 66 people reading it at the moment~! xD**

 

**So chu can look forward to double updates from now on~! *0*0*0***

**The next update will be coming out on:16th February 2018 and two days later another update will follow on 19th February 2018~! *0*0***

**From now on there will always be two updates following each other closely like that hehe~!**

 

**Well then, see you in the next devastating chapter~ C; xDDDDD**


	33. -๑-๑ ஜ ๑- I'm sorry - -๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

 

**-Shizuo´s point of view.-**

It pierced the skin.

It did.

The needle.

Time seemed to freeze when that deadly metal disappeared beneath the surface of Izaya's arm. For a second the blond thought he was just imagining things, that he was dreaming- maybe this was another one of his nightmares he was going to wake up soon from it only to find Izaya sitting at the desk.

Except it was not.

Quicker than the blond´s brain was able to catch up with what he was doing his hand slammed into that syringe, knocking it out of the raven´s hand- crashing on the ground.

But it was too late.

With horror the blond swallowed as his eyes were fixated on a small but deadly dot.

It was red, a tiny droplet of blood collecting on top.

Collecting.

Blood.

"You broke the needle." the words sounded so surreal, so calm, way too calm considering what had just happened.

Raising his head he looked at the flea, a flea that looked so disturbingly tranquil. It was then that Shizuo finally found his voice again. Loud, barking, louder than he intended to even while his throat was constricted.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" It was a scream, a desperate wish of having a chance to revert the raven´s doings.

"Shizu-" Izaya started, but he didn't even get to finish his sentence.

"DID YOU PUT THAT INSIDE?!" The brute was yelling, it was funny, but right now he reminded him of the times back in the normal Ikebukuro, the Ikebukuro that wasn't inhabited by zombies. The Ikebukuro that they used to chase each other in- the blond after him like a bull after a red piece of fabric.

He had been screaming his name back then as well.

"Hey, calm-"

"IZAYA! ARE YOU INSANE?!" The blond didn't seem to be listening.

"Shizu-chan," Izaya repeated, but there was still no recognition visible.

"YOU WILL DIE!"

"SHIZUO!" Choking on whatever the blond was going to yell he paused for just a moment. His brows were furrowed so deep, so angry, so sad-

"It's not like we have any alternative anyway," izaya explained, calm with a steady voice, "And I am running out of ideas. You really think we will survive much longer like we are now?" There was no other choice- if this didn't work then they might as well start searching for a nice place to die in.

Fists clenching next to the raven´s body he lowered his gaze to the ground.

Why didn't Shizu-chan see it? Was he really too stupid for it?

He had gotten bitten before- sure he managed to pry that asshole of a zombie off him just in time before it could actually do irreversible damage- but didn't he notice the consequences?

Seeing as these fast monsters had only appeared after a certain time span there was no guarantee that there weren't other, different abbreviations of these monsters out there.

What if there was going to be one that could withstand the sun?

Ones that could chase them in the daylight?

just the thought made his skin crawl in a way he absolutely hated.

Shizu-chan wouldn't be able to fend them all off, and even if everything stayed just the way it was right now, they weren't going to be able to live here forever.

Food, water, they would have to go and get these things from exactly these dangerous places. Closed shops, dark houses having been left behind- a situation like today…. it could occur anytime.

And when the raven imagined that next time Shizu-chan could get bitten for real.

When he imagined that he could start to turn- to-

"That stuff. That stuff you created.. can it you know.. can it turn you into … into one of those things...?" Shizu-chan questioned, and honestly speaking Izaya couldn't bring himself to look at the blond. His throat was too constricted, tight, he felt as if he were choking.

"Yes."

No.

No, no, no-

Endlessly the term repeated inside Shizuo´s head as he stared at the flea, stared at that wrist.

Started at that cursed needle on the ground.

No-

No way... the only thing he could protect... the only human still there with him- no.

Before he knew it his hands had shot forward, grabbing the hem of Izaya's shirt as he pulled him up to his face, unknowing rage ruling his devastated mind.

"AREN'T YOU AFRAID OF DYING?!" he didn't understand, his mind didn't let him understand- he registered what the raven had been saying, he had been listening and yet-

"Shizu-chan if we are realistic then we will probably die pretty soon anyway."

He knew that!

his fist was shaking, holding onto that black fabric that was Izaya's shirt. He knew it, he understood, he really did, he even knew in the back of his mind that what Izaya was saying wasn't wrong, he knew that trying this was the best option at hand and yet-

"That's no excuse! We could try at least!" They could have! They could have just stayed in here, just like they did up until now, only get the most necessary things and do whatever the raven wanted- play theater if he had to-

Just thinking about it made his throat constrict even tighter.

Things like that- he didn't mind, childish shit that the flea enjoyed- as long as he didn't as he didn't-

"It's too late now anyway Shizu-chan. What happens, happens." his hands were trembling- the raven thought it was in anger, he already braced himself for a punch, because that was what Shizu-chan relied on the most but no, that wasn't it.

Every fiber in his body was breaking down looking at the raven.

Every part of his body was screaming at him, was burning, his eyes were stinging- as reality hit him so harsh he thought he was going to choke to death.

Izaya was going to die.

He was going to turn into one of these zombies.

He was going… to be gone.

Gone.

Squeezing his eyes shut the raven prepared himself, prepared himself for a punch to his face, a painful one, one that he deserved maybe, but the surprise was just that much bigger when it wasn't a punch that met him.

No.

It were Shizu-chan´s arms. But not in the form of fists or filled with anger- they were wrapping around him sliding across the silky fabric of his black shirt only tighten behind his back.

Snapping back open his eye were barely able to catch a glimpse of blond rushing past his face as the blond had caught him in a hug.

Confused a frown made its way onto the raven´s expression- he didn't know what to make of the action instinctively he pushed at the blond´s chest, only for it to end up in the blond clinging to him even more.

"Shizu-chan-"

Tighter, tighter than he was supposed to, he wrapped his arms around the flea- as if trying to make him stay, as if holding him like this was going to keep him here, to keep him like he was to stop him from transforming into one of these monsters.

"Shizu-chan, you know, it _could_ work. No need to get all desperate," Izaya sighed, with a mix of annoyance and seriosity. He didn't know what to make of this, what was the blond trying to do? Did he think he felt sad for what he did? Was he trying to cheer Izaya up?

He didn't get it, he really didn't .

"And if it doesn't you will turn into one of those. With white dead eyes, eating corpses, trying to eat me," the blond suddenly spoke, and the image, the clear vivid image of himself rotten, glassy white eyes was sending a shiver down the raven´s spine.

He didn't want to imagine himself as a zombie. Swallowing hard he tried to chase it away, tried to ignore what the blond was saying.

"Good thing I won't see myself, ne? I sound scary," he said, meant it as a joke, and pushed again, trying to get the blond off him- he didn't need this, he didn't-

"You will be dead. You might turn into one of those. The fast ones. You… stupid idiot-"

And then Izaya froze. Froze, not because of what the blond had said, no, it wasn't the content of his words.

It was the choking sound reaching his ears, the audible sniff and that sudden way too blatant wetness staining his shoulder- the shoulder Shizu´s face was hidden in.

"Fuck, Izaya you are so stupid-"

He swore to protect Izaya from that day on. He couldn't lose Izaya- everyone, but not him-

He swore to concentrate on him. He swore he would-

"Shizu-"

"You can't die you freaking bastard, you got that? You aren't allowed to!"

Shizu-chan, was crying.

He really was. Only now he noticed it, the slight heaving, up and down, of Shizu-chan´s chest as he gasped for quick air.

The trembling, the coldness.

"… hey…" Izaya mumbled but somehow his voice cracked up just with the mere word he managed to express. His hands lifted, traced to the blond´s back, to his neck, stroking his hair softly. It was an attempt to cam the blond to comfort him to- Izaya didn't even know what he was trying to do.

"It will take at least a day or two, okay? I´m still here."

Choked, cracked the immediate response followed.

"Shut up."

It was tearing him apart.

For the blond to …. care that much. Izaya should laugh. Laugh at a hilarious thing as this. At Shizuo crying over the possibility of him dying.

He shouldn't care. He shouldn't care this much.

Yet.. he could only concentrate on the soft hair he felt beneath his fingertips and the weird warmth that spread in Izaya´s chest. and the throat clenching as he felt a familiar sting return to his eyes.

He didn't understand it.

He wasn't crying because of himself, because Izaya had taken a decision and he had taken it fully aware of the consequences, so why?

Why was the sight- no not even the sight, just the sound- the knowledge.

Why was the knowledge of the blond crying in his shoulder making his eyes sting this badly?

"Hey, don't you have faith in what I did here? It could work you know?" the raven tried, even managed to express a quick laugh, one that was supposed to lighten the mood. After all what he was saying was the truth. What he did might as well work. "You said it yourself, I'm smart." He might as well had made himself immune just now against the zombie virus.

That was also a possibility. "So instead of dying I might never get infected. How does that sound?"

But Shizu-chan didn't seem to be convinced by his words at all.

"Like bullshit."

The words were choked, his teeth grit as he tried to deal with this wave of emotions of sorrow and pain that was making him blind and deaf.

He couldn't change a thing now.

He couldn't do anything. Nothing at all.

If Izaya really got infected just now, he would start to turn. Slowly.

He would try to convince him otherwise probably, would assure him, but one day… one day he would just stop responding.

He would stop talking to Shizuo, he would stop being the annoying shit he was.

He would only groan, trying to eat him.

And then- at that time- Izaya would already be gone. Even if the zombie Izaya was still there, the Izaya Shizuo knew, the Izaya Shizuo used to joke with to get angry at- He would be gone. Forever.

He wouldn't be able to talk to him ever again, he wouldn't be able to play theater with him, he wouldn't be able to hear his voice.

Never again.

He would be alone.

Just like before. And Izaya wouldn't be there to cheer him up- he would just-

"Don't make me regret what I did I swear," Izaya suddenly said, but it didn't diminish the pain Shizuo was feeling.

Pushing at his chest Izaya was trying to look at the blond, maybe making eye contact was going to let his words reach the blond, but no… just no.

The moment he met his glance, he just knew how badly he was hurting the blond.

So much pain was reflecting in his eyes.

Honestly, he was the one who was risking his life and yet right now he felt as though he had done the most selfish thing in the world.

And for once Izaya was speechless.

He realized that no words he was going to say were going to ease the blond's pain.

Nothing would.

And suddenly he was regretting it.

He was. Because Shizu-chan… he couldn't start to imagine what the blond had to feel like, what he was doing to him, and like this…

"... I forgot my knife downstairs."

The words were so much off topic the blond took a second to understand the meaning of them.

"What?" his voice cracked, not getting how the flea could talk about his knife now.

"When we were out." But maybe that wasn't it. His gaze was lowered to the ground. His voice so terribly void of any emotion. The sentence short, easy. "I'm gonna go get it… sorry-" and with that the blond was shoved off- but this time, Shizuo didn't keep ahold of him. He knew why the flea was going to get his knife. If he had even forgotten it.

Jacket disappearing behind the door to the library Shizuo couldn't do anything but stand there for a second. His brows were furrowed so deep it hurt, his head was too- he… honestly speaking he couldn't remember the last time he cried, he couldn't even remember if he did before.

No. He did. back then with Izaya, when he mourned Kasuka´s death and when he thought Izaya was going to die as well.

It was somewhat funny, both times he cried because he feared for izaya's life… and now…

taking a deep breath he tried to dispel the heavy feeling in his head.

And slowly, slowly he tried to let the words Izaya had said sicker into his brain.

It could work.

Maybe, just maybe Izaya didn't have to die. He said so.

There was a possibility.

It was there.

And yet, he still felt like shit- he wanted to believe it.

He wanted to believe that Izaya was going to be alright.

Almost violently the blond rose his right sleeve, wiping at his eyes to get rid of the tears leaking from them as he stepped outside of the library.

Izaya was probably downstairs, waiting for him to calm down- maybe he had just gotten fed up. Shizuo didn't know, he really didn't.

Pushing the door to the school open the sun blinded him for a second. Moments passed as he tried to get his teary eyes used to the light- and then he looked outside.

Izaya wasn't there.

He looked left and right of the school- the flea couldn't be that far, he was just getting the knife.

"Izaya-" he called- and suddenly it was there, dark, suffocating.

It was a feeling, a feeling in his guts- it was making him nauseous-

Turning around he looked towards the shop he busted up a mere couple minutes before. Izaya wasn't there.

" _Sorry."_

It was the last word Izaya had said. All of a sudden that exact simple word held just that much more meaning to it as the blond turned his head twisted it around, looked at the surroundings-

But there was no sight of the flea.

Izaya.

Was gone.

**To be continued~**

**DUN DUN DUNNNNN lmao I was sobbing while writing this chapter cuz- feels! Feels! xDDD It´s so hard to hit keys with a blurry sight tho omg xD**

**And now this end- ahhh the drama, the pain -rubs hands evily- I love this ohohohoho xD Sorry for any typos btw xD I wrote this in the record time of one hour x'D**

**Well then people xD Sowy I was a bit late with the update, but hey~! Since Sotd won the double update, the next part is gonna come out tomorrow already! **0*0*0*0*0* Are you excited to find out what the flea is up to? xDDD**

**I am lmao, didn't even start writing the chapter yet xD**

**Anyway, see you tomorrow 21st February~! xD or if I happen to be late, the day after tomorrow, but I do think I can finish the chapter till tomorrow xD**

**See you~!**


	34. --๑-๑ ஜ ๑- I hate you, Shizu-chan - -๑ ஜ ๑-๑--

\--๑-๑ **ஜ** ๑\- **Chapter 34: I hate you, Shizu-chan -** - ๑ **ஜ** ๑-๑\--

**  
** **\---Shizuo´s point of view.---**

No. 

No, that couldn´t be- 

head twisting around the blond looked at his surroundings once more- the crashed shop, down the street, up the street- behind himself because maybe he had misunderstood and Izaya was just behind him or something but no. 

No he wasn't anywhere close. 

This, this couldn´t be right? 

The flea, he- 

He wouldn't just- 

Before he even knew it his legs were carrying him away from the entrance, he didn't even have any idea where he was running, just running, burning he was dashing down the street. 

"IZAYA!" the yell tore through the silence.-- it was odd because usually they had to keep their voices down due to the possibility of zombies hearing them, but in this part o the city, there didn't seem to be any of the ordinary slow ones. The opposite. The streets were empty, the roads free- only the groaning, the screeching from the nightly assholes hidden within dark shops was left as a reminder of their situation. 

"OI?! IZAYA?!" Again he yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice hallowed, broke halfway as his breathing was ragged, gasping for air as quickly as he could to run faster- faster- because he had no idea where the flea was, he had no idea how far he had come. 

Desperation was gnawing at his bones and for just that moment the fear of losing the flea to the virus was gone because another one much more immediate fear was taking over. 

The flea was running away, the flea was doing what he always did what he always could do fucking best- he ran, he planned to leave Shizuo aone here, to leave him because- 

Fuck, shizuo didn't even know why exactly, he just knew it was true. 

Jumping across rubbish on the street he grasped the ledge of a small building to maneuver his way on top of it. 

He didn't know why, was it because of the virus? Was it because he didn't want to argue with the blond- fuck he didn't know, the only thing he did know was that if he didn't manage to find the flea soon- 

"What are you looking for Shizu-chan?" almost crashing into a wall the blond´s eyes widened as he came to screeching halt. 

His breath got caught, pants were swallowed as he looked up, up at the top of a building. 

There he was- 

Relief was washing voer the blond way quicker than he was able to even ascertain what it meant to find the flea this part form the school they had been hiding in. 

"Izaya! What are you doing?!" He failed to see the glare, the hostility his eyes held as he took in a shuddering breath of relief. 

"Isn't it obvious?" Izaya spoke, and it was only now that the blond noticed the oddity of the raven´s voice. So clear, so sharp. "I decided to break our little team."

Like a cut it tore through the silence. The voice just as much as the words. 

Break- 

"What-" the blond managed to mumble a frown crossing his face as he looked at the flea. And then there it was that laughter. Quiet, but steady, it was welling up in the raven´s throat until he was grinning again with that old sirk, the smirk he used to send him back in Ikebukuro. 

"Ahaha, that face Shizu-chan,” he sighed, holding his stomach while chuckling as if the blond had just told him a funny joke. Sneering, with a hard gaze he straightened himself, the laughters suddenly dying on his lips. 

"I only teamed up with you because you proved to be useful in the first place,” he announced, with a voice so freezing it only confused the blond double and trice. A smirk followed, drawing across his lips again as he shrugged, the blond not being able to respond anything at the unexpected words. "But now I don't need to you anymore, it's as simple as that~"

he didn't- … what? "You see, we are both perfectly fine surviving in this shit alone,” izaya continued, but Shizuo wasn't really listening to his words anymore. Instead he was thinking, frowning deeply. He didn't understand- what was the flea trying to do? 

Surviving alone? that was bullshit, izaya had said so himself just a day ago, their chances were that much higher if they acted like a team- so what the hell did this mean? "You take the zombies down like the monster you are and I will just go my ways,” the raven purred, only causing that crease on Shizuo´s forehead to grow even deeper. 

"What the fuck are you talking about Izaya?" his voice was low, his expression stern a hint of anger was causing his fists to clench. He knew it, he knew deep down that the raven just wanted to provoke him- but why? 

"The truth obviously,” Izaya responded with a grin on his lips, dripping with mockery. 

Why? Shizuo didn't get it. 

He was confused, he was sad, he knew Izaya was acting like this because of what he had done but he didn't get the connection- just what was the flea trying to achieve? 

Closing his eyes the blond tried to count to 5. Hoping to calm his nerves before he really ended up getting mad at the raven. 

"Izaya,” he spoke slowly, raising his head again, “stop the bullshit and-" but he didn't get to finish his sentence. 

It was there. All of a sudden, he even saw it coming but he was simply too stunned to move. 

Stinging, warm and wet he touched his cheek. Blood greeting him with it´s devious colour. 

"You don't get it, do you?" the raven who had thrown the knife he supposedly had gone to recover sneered. "I don't need you anymore Shizu-chan,” he spat, his eyes narrowing in hate. “I hate you now it would be great if you just went and died~!"

"Iza-" the name was stuck in his throat, because obviously the raven wasn't intending to listen to the blond even a second longer as he suddenly turned on his heels. 

A smirk on his expression he rose one hand to wave and- 

"See you~" jumped off the other end of the roof. 

Shizuo had no fucking idea what was going on. 

"IZAYA!" Rage, sudden rage was filling his mind. Not at the words, not at what the flea had said, but just this, the action, running away from him as though he was going to leave him behind like the stupid brute he was. 

Leaving him without telling his real reason. 

it pissed him off, it pissed him off so much, after all these days after everything they had went through- together!

He definitely wasn't going to let Izaya get away with nothing but lies after everything they had been through! 

Almost threatening the steady sound of running steps hallowed through the city- steam blew, dust flea as the blond suddenly found himself in a situation so similar to their old chases it hurt. 

A sign was torn up from the ground, the pavement destroyed, buildings crashed- 

“IZAYA!” he could see him, the flea, he could see him up ahead, sometimes only his shadow sometimes the edge of his coat, but he knew he was there, and he wasn't going to lose him! 

Adrenaline pumped through his veins, signs were thrown, signs that for once Shizuo didn't give a damn about whether they destroyed anything on their way. 

The flea did nothing, he had no more blades, all he could do was run, run- the blond was getting closer, he was almost there- 

Jumping up the wall of a house he found himself on the roof- and then he saw hi, full body up ahead and hey he wasn't as far away anymore than before. 

“IZAYA!” again his voice hallowed and the raven almost seemed to jump at the loudness and the indication of just how near the blond was already at his heels. 

“IZAYA STO-” abruptly, choking on his words the blond suddenly found himself unable to finish his words. 

Because suddenly he was falling. 

Falling down. 

Crashing crumbling the roof of the building they had been running on broke down just beneath the blond´s feet- 

It might have been the car he was carrying along, or maybe the roof was just too old- the regret was dashing through his head like lightning, but the dust and rubbish blinding his eyes and assaulting his lungs making him cough violently were quickly drawing his attention to them as his back hit the ground with a harsh thud. 

Sunlight was gleaming down from the hole he had fallen through and he swiped across his face to get the dust out of his face. 

It was dark, it was cool inside this house- and suddenly he heard it. 

The groans. 

Eyes snapping back open his sight was obstructed by blurriness but fuck he was able to make them out clear enough. A horde of them, covering in the dark suddenly standing up with something that almost sounded like pleased grunts. 

His heart stopped, his body acted as fast as it could, pushing himself off the rubbish he backed away, but the creatures, they ran, screamed, jumped- 

And suddenly there was light. So much light. 

It was blinding the blond for a second as his back hit the wall he had backed off into. 

Screaming, louder than before, this time of agonizing nature was reaching his ears and his heart thumped in his ears when he looked at the suffering danger in front of him. 

Screaming, screeching the light was burning the zombies alive, barely a few centimeters away from his feet. 

Chest heaving he glanced up at the sun that had saved his life- only to spot someone else. 

Someone heaving, panting, standing at the edge of the hole that had suddenly gotten this much broader. His eyes were narrowed, a deep frown on his forehead, so untypical for the flea. 

An unreadable expression was pictured on his face, sadness anger, frustration all mixed together in a cocktail of sadness that the blond couldn't decipher. 

It only took the blond a second to count two and two together and make his eyes widen just a bit at the unexpected turn of events. 

For a moment, a tiny moment he really thought the raven was just going to run on, he wouldn't even have been mad for that, after all the flea might not have noticed that he fell down into one of these dark pits filled with zombies, maybe he even saw but thought Shizuo could take care of it on his own- but just the fact that he had chosen to turn around and break off more of that ceiling to help the blond showed that what the flea had been saying earlier was nothing but a huge lie. 

“Izaya, wait!” Shizuo called, and this time he thought he might get a chance to talk to the flea, panting and gasping for air as he was- but apparently that wasn't what the flea had in mind. 

Straightening himself he turned on his heels- he was about to run off again- except this time luck seemed to be on Shizuo´s side. 

With an ear numbing creak, the roof that was already nothing but a giant perforated piece of cheese, the rest of the ceiling came crashing down- a whelp escaped the raven´s lips as he fell together with the rubbish, down onto the creatures burying every single one of them beneath the stones. 

Screaming was heard, the zombies screeching, burning- the flea was coughing now as well trying to get his sight back- but Shizuo wasn't going to lose his chance this time. 

by the time the last of the creatures had died of the burning rays of the sun the blond was there grabbing the raven on both shoulders and shoved him to the ground. 

Yelping the raven tried to worm his way out of the grip, but no chance- his head hitting the ground a bit harsh he squeezed his eyes shut in a momentary sting of pain. 

"Stop running away god damnit!" Shizuo announced, frowning, yelling in a way when the flea opened his eyes again to glare at the blond. 

“Tsk-” his shoulders were pinned but hell his legs weren't, kicking, wriggling he tried to shove the brute off him somehow, tried to get rid of the way too heavy weight on top of him-

"Let go you brute! Go die!" he was practically screaming if the blond had to use another word to describe the flea he would have almost said hysteric. 

"You are really stupid you know that? You don't even get it when people deceive you the whole time!" the raven hissed, glared, still trying to get the blond off him, but it was no use, not with Shizuo. 

"Deceive huh? As if," sure the flea might have been an asshole, sure he might have done shit like this in the pst, when everything was fine and there were no zombies running around, but not now. not like this. 

"What you don't believe me?" Izaya questioned, sounding as though he was making fun of the blond for being so stupid, but Shizuo knew better than to catch that bait. 

"Of course I don't!” he barked, causing the raven to flinch just for a moment at the loudness of his voice, “I don't know what the fuck you are planning but I sure as hell won't let you run off like this." 

He really meant it. 

No matter what the flea planned, it didn't even matter whether the flea was speaking the truth or not. 

Even if he had been deceiving him for a certain amount of time, maybe even for half the trip, Shizuo didn't care. 

Not after yesterday, not after everything they shared, after Izaya's birthday surprise for him, after talking about their siblings, after comforting each other like that and pushing on together through these times. 

“Just tell me what's going on all of a sudden,” the blond pleaded, no matter what the reason was he already knew he could forgive it, after everything the flea had done. 

"Why?" Pausing for a moment the blond looked at the flea- or ather at his hand, because he had risen it, his wrist covering his eyes a he sighed the word deeply. 

"Why can't you just let me go...?" he could see it, e frown right on his forehead only partly hidden like the flea wanted to. 

"What?" the blond questioned, not getting what had changed- the flea suddenly seemed less hostile, if not to say not hostile at all. 

His movements  had slugged down and he had stopped moving. 

"You are an asshole you know that? Go die, seriously-"

"Izaya-" the blond groaned, not knowing what else he was supposed to say. 

"Why the hell can't you just go find someone else?!” the raven questioned, voice hard choked somewhat, “There are surely other people left you can get attached to! Maybe some of your friends survived! I bet Celty is still out there! Search for her!" he pleaded, and suddenly there was a choked sound resounding from underneath that hand that was blocking the blond´s sight. 

A sound that really gave Shizuo´s heart a squeeze there. 

"... are you crying?" A choked sob was the answer, Izaya's hand tightening into a fist as though he didn't want the blond to know. 

"Shut up," he choked only confirming the blond´s suspicions. The raven´s shoulders were let go. One bracing itself against the dusty ground next to Izaya while the other took that wrist. 

Encircled it. he could feel the pressure, strength Izaya ut into it to keep it in front of his face but against Shizuo he had no chance. Effortless he moved it aside, only to confirm his suspicion. 

Izaya really was crying. 

 

**to be continued~**

 

**Heyo heyo cookies xD I took one day longer to update but heyyyy xDDD Awww stuff is gonna get so cute and bittersweet and omg- I didn't get to write the unexpected plot twist yet xD but next chapter hehehehe C:**

**That being said, next chappy will come out on 6th March~! xD Well then cookies see you there~ C; xD**


	35. --๑-๑ ஜ ๑- Just for you - -๑ ஜ ๑-๑--

**\---Shizuo´s point of view ---**

Tears were flowing from his cheeks, dripping onto that dirty dust piling up beneath the two. 

"I´m most probably going to die Shizu-chan-” the raven sobbed, the salty liquid streaming endlessly from his eyes. “There is a 20% chance  will die. And a 40% chance I will turn into a zombie-" Cold and chilly the air around them suddenly felt as the blond´s grip on the raven´s wrists loosened just a bit. "The chances I actually did the right thing with this are incredibly slim- I might as well become a zombie one day and bite you when you don't expect it,” the raven blurted out, eyes closed, but the drops still spilling. "I might bite you! Infect you! And the worst is you would have to kill me like that-" Izaya knew a lot about Shizu-chan. 

He knew how strong he was, what these hands of his were capable of. 

he also knew that if the brute had really wanted to he could have killed him years ago, be it back in Ikebukuro before this virus spread or afterwards. 

He knew just how strong he was- and yet he also knew how incredibly weak he could be. 

“I know you could never do that-!” Because killing someone- anyone- 

“Fuck.” Shizu-chan wouldn't be able to do that. 

And now that they had gotten…. close, like this- 

Izaya did´t even fucking know what they were and he doubted Shizu-chan had spent a lot of thoughts on it, but he wasn't stupid enough to think he would still kill him without any regrets. 

"Is it so wrong to want to die alone? Is it so wrong I don't want to drag you down to hell with me?" he questioned, although his voice was already breaking halfway through. He knew he had fucked up. He knew. he realized it the moment Shizu-chan cried. Cried for someone like him. 

"You should have ditched me the day we met Shizu-chan. Should have left me behind in that hospital.” Looking at their situation now that would have been the perfect moment for the two two break apart. to go separate ways. At that point in time Shizu-chan had stopped mourning and blaming himself over ksuka´s death. At that moment he had learnt everything there was possibly to learn about these creatures. 

No.. 

Maybe even before that. 

"Or better you should have never followed me the day we met. We saved each others asses- you should have just gone your own way then." Izaya should have ran. ran faster, when Shizu-chan asked for teaming up, somewhat, he should have just declined, maybe he should have thrown a knife after the blond so he would rally listen, because now- 

Now- 

“I'm just going to get you killed-" The words broke off, swallowed and drowned by the pure sadness and grief that was assaulting the raven. So much grief and regret. He hadn't shown a lot of his emotions ever since he teamed up with the blond- he never did. He had always paid attention to keep his composure- and yet. 

now like this, with the fear and possibility of him dying, along with the guilt and regret robbing him of his sanity he couldn't pretend to handle everything the way he usually did.  

And Shizuo noticed that. Of course he did- seeing the flea like this- it broke his heart in a way he never thought was possible. 

So that's what it was. That was what the flea was going on about. 

This wasn't about Izaya getting fed up with him, or about Izaya being angry for all the stupid things Shizuo had done, no, this wasn't even Izaya trying to survive on his own or deeming their chances were better split apart. 

No. 

He didn't want to get Shizuo killed.

It wasn't even about him surviving, he wasn't even afraid of death. What he was afraid of was what was going to happen to Shizuo after it-

the raven was crying, was so incredibly sad and yet Shizuo couldn't help but be mesmerized by the sight displayed in front of him. 

It tugged at his heart in a way he couldn´t determine. 

Izaya's face, so honest, overflowing with tears and red- those brows furrowed in a display of regret and sadness- and yet… als care. 

Maybe that was what captured the blond so much. 

Izaya was crying for him. 

He was crying for him. 

Izaya cared about the blond to a degree that scattered all of these stupid masks he used to wear. 

It touched the blond in a way the raven had not even managed with all his small gestures the past days. 

Finding a pair of arms pull him up from the ground the raven blinked for a moment only to find himself being trapped inside a hug. 

A tight, tight hug. 

"But what if you won't die?" the blond questioned, his own voice shaking softly. 

Because he knew he had found it, he had found something he was definitely not going to let go of ever again. 

"What if you don't turn into a zombie?" he continued, trying to strengthen his voice, as he didn't quite believe his own words. 

There was doubt layered thick, overwhelmed by the immense fear of despite having caught the raven, that he would have to see him leave despite his struggles. 

"Izaya no matter what you say or do I am going to stay with you until the end,” he declared, and this time his voice was not wavering, because he knew what he was saying was nothing but the truth. 

“We made a promise!” The flea might have forgotten about it but Shizuo certainly hadn't. “Back when that woman protected us, you said I'm better off without you,” he could clearly remember it, Izaya had implied something like this before. “You promised you wouldn't just run off without a word!” He promised! 

"Nothing you do can change my mind,” he announced, “And if you just disappear on me I might as well just go out at night and let myself be bitten." 

Eyes growing wide for a moment the raven pushed at the blond´s chest. 

"No, you wouldn´t-"

"You sure about that?" but Shizu-chan´s gaze was unwavering. "Do you really think I would just keep going like this? Search for some random person I could protect? Do I look that patient to you?" Izaya was about to say, yes, yes because Shizu-chan had to. He had to find someone else he could protect if he needed to, or just survive on his own- and yet, he already knew the suggestion would be falling on deaf ears. 

Unpredictable and stubborn, those were definitely the most prominent features the raven could always rely on when dealing with the blond. 

"I won't let you go. Sorry, Izaya. So please." Shizu-chan repeated and Izaya could feel that pair of arms wrap even tighter around his body. It was almost too tight- but he couldn't even bring himself to complain. The desperation was transmitted through his body and voice. "Please don't run away from me." the blond pleaded, and honestly, Izaya didn't want to anymore. 

Maybe it was selfish, and hell he really felt like the asshole everyone always described him to be at that moment. 

But he really did´t want to leave. 

He wanted to stay. He knew he was going to die most probably, he knew he was going to bite Shizu-chan and would eventually kill him that way, he knew all of that and yet- 

He wanted to stay. 

"I'm sorry-" the blond heard the raven choke, "I'm sorry I took that stuff- I just - they almost killed you!” The sentence was broken, fragments of thoughts being expressed by choked sounds as the raven tried to make the blond understand something that he already had. “I thought if we don´t find an antidote now then they will get us, they will get me or worse-- they might get you….!” 

To be honest that was what had scared Izaya the most. The moment when Shizu-chan had stood there- and that monster had seemingly bitten his arm. That single second had caused the raven´s sanity to crash just then and there. 

“When that zombie bit you I just-” He was choking on his own words, not even making a lot of sense but Izaya didn't even notice. “I thought that I would have to watch you change into one of them I-” there was so much pain reflecting in his eyes.

Fuck.

“It's not your fault, idiot-” Shizuo said, and even though he wasn't at fault he couldn't help but blame himself partly for this. 

“You were right before,” he said, voice rough and broken, “You said it could work right?” After all this was an antidote. Shizuo had seen it. The liquid on the table, the way everything turned clear- whatever this was, maybe it really was the antidote. Maybe the flea was now immune to becoming a zombie. “So let's believe in that for now, okay?” If anything ti was better than to cry over the possibility of him dying. “Maybe you really did it with that genius brain of yours,” he continued, swallowing down a lump that had started to form in his throat. 

“Trying to cheer me up when you are crying yourself?” a soft question followed, a chuckled hidden in it trying to sound as convincing and strong as possible. 

The blond couldn't help but feel a broken smile sneak onto his lips.

“Oh, shut up.” What were they doing? 

Izaya had him had never done things the normal way- but this really- it was extreme. 

"Sorry for that cut..." the raven suddenly muffled, his thumb brushing over a soft trail of blood that was starting to collect on his cheek. 

Right, he had thrown one of his knifes before. 

"Sorry for that shove." Shizuo had seen the flea wince when he forced him into the ground harsh like this. 

It was then that something that oddly sounded like laughter bubbling from the raven's mouth. 

"We are crazy-” he announced and Shizuo couldn't agree more. 

"We always were. I don't even know how to act normal." But maybe that was exactly what drew them to each other this much. 

Feeling the soft hair of Izaya tickle his cheek the blond nuzzled into his shoulder. He didn't feel like letting go of the raven yet. 

The threat- the anguishing feeling of the knowledge of what was cursing or what might be cursing in the raven's blood caused a lump to form in Shizuo´s throat. 

"How do we know if it worked...?" the question was asked quietly, as though he wasn't daring to actually talk about a topic so drastic. 

"For sure?" Izaya repeated, sounding as though he was hesitating as well. "Well if a zombie bites me and I don't change, that's when we know if I made myself immune." 

Feeling Shizu-chan grip his shoulders just a little bit tighter the raven couldn't help but sigh softly. 

"I'm not going to let myself be bitten I guess?"

"No." Well that was to be expected. 

Then again- izaya himself wasn't exactly keen to have one of those disgusting creatures let its teeth sink into his flesh. 

No. Preferably not. 

"... I'm not intending on it." 

It was then that a sudden noise made the raven pause and push the blond off for a second. 

“Do you hear that?” A confused expression was shown by the blond though as he looked at the flea. Blinking he turned his head, listened closely- he almost expected to hear some kind of groaning or something equally threatening. His nerves were standing on ends just thinking about the bastards that had been about to attack him before. 

But no. 

No groaning, no creatures. 

“What do you mean?” he repeated, only to be interrupted by a harsh, “Pst-!” A finger had been risen to Izaya's lips and he closed his eyes as though he was trying to hear what he had heard once more. 

And then Shizuo heard it too. 

Softly getting louder- it was an oddly familiar noise, yet so quiet still Shizuo couldn't quite make out what it was exactly. 

“No way-” but Izaya seemed to have as he suddenly got up from the ground. Following right after the blond ran after the flea that was heading to what used to be the entrance to the building they had landed in and stepped outside. 

The sun was still gleaming strongly- there was nothing to fear yet. 

And then he saw it- the object that emitted the all too familiar noise he had heard. 

Black and unexpected it was just suddenly there in the middle of the sky. 

A helicopter. 

**To be continued~**   
**Oh gosh, things are gonna get quite interesting now ohohohoh xD**

**Well well~ who do you think is on that helicopter~? C;**

**Sowy for the slight delay btw, the next chapter will be up in three days~ On the same day as Shingeki no Shizuo is updated haha xD daw both my favourite stories are taking an interesting turn right now ehehehehehehe xD**

**Well then, see you in three days~! xD**


	36. --๑-๑ ஜ ๑- Heartless? - -๑ ஜ ๑-๑--

**\---Shizuo´s point of view ---**

Confused- surprised the two of them were left to do nothing but look at that helicopter as it landed not too far from them. Entirely black, no insignias, no letters or numbers on it it mysteriously had appeared, just like that. 

Shizuo didn't know what to think of it. 

Was this- did someone defeat the virus? Was there some kind of camp? A camp for the survived? Maybe there were more people left- no there had to be more people left considering someone had had to steer that machine. 

“What-” he was about to ask, ask Izaya what he thought about this helicopter, but the flea was already acting upon his own plans. 

“Hey-!” hissing quietly although a tad too loud the blond watched the raven dash towards the helicopter. 

Turning around the flea only hissed at the blond. 

“Be quiet!” With quick even steps the blond followed the raven- he didn't need to ask what the flea was doing. He wanted to check out just who it was that had been steering the helicopter. 

Stepping crawling, moving across the rubbish and broken walls of the city the two made their way over. 

They could hear voices, noise. 

It was beneath a pile of rubbish that the two stopped. Izaya signed for the blond to stay down as he glanced past the pile. 

Only for his eyes to widen in surprise. 

Shizuo hadn't missed the astonishment spreading across the flea´s expression and he followed his actions, glanced past the pile and- 

“Is that-” the words died down as he spotted the all too familiar brunette. Glasses resting on his nose, that dirty, although clearly white lab coat dangling from his frame as the helicopter suddenly took on a different shape. 

Two wheels, that neighing sound the two of them had heard so often inside the city. A bicycle was suddenly leaning against a wall. Shadows of black were moved around the landscape forming a set of tents, three of them in total- and something that Izaya could only describe as a wall behind them. 

No mistake. 

That yellow helmet decorated with kitty ears left and right- 

“Shinra…” Izaya mumbled softly, obviously surprised he was meeting his old friend after all this time. 

“And Celty-” Shizuo added, and they were not the only ones. Having transformed the helicopter there were now more people to be seen as well. Blond and stern there was Vorona, carrying what seemed to a box filled with weapons. Kadota, Yumasaki, Karisawa, they were right next to her also moving boxes filled with all kinds of supplies. 

Getting up from the ground the blond had been about to walk over- to all their friends. Friends that were still alive! But a harsh tug on his wrist made him pause. 

“Wait.” Confused the blond looked at the raven that was still hiding beneath the pile of rubbish. Instinctively, knowing he could trust the flea he backed back down again, facing the raven head on. 

“What for? It's Shinra and the others,” he whispered, not really getting what the flea was doubting in this situation. 

But then the raven lowered his gaze, lowered it to the wrist. The wrist he had stuck that needle into before. 

“Don't tell them.” Izaya didn't need to elaborate or explain to the blond just what he was talking about. He knew it just by saying these few words. He didn't want Shizuo to tell them about the possibly antidote that might as well turn him into zombie soon. 

A frown crossed Shizuo´s expression at the request. 

“But maybe Shinra can help you,” the blond tried, “He might know how to-” 

“NO.” Harshly the raven cut him off mid sentence as he shook his head vehemently. 

“Shizu-chan if you tell them about it then we might as well split ways right here right now.” His expression was serious, not joking. 

“What- why?” Shizuo didn't understand- why did their friends knowing about this mean that they had to split up? 

With a sigh the raven let his head thud against the broken pieces of what used to be a wall. 

“Being injected with this pretty much equals with being bitten, what do you think will they do if they know I have been  _ bitten _ ?” 

If they knew? - But Izaya hadn't been bitten. The thought of terming it this way alone was making the blond cringe- and yet he knew what the raven was getting at. “I can tell you, Vorona for example, will try to kill me to erase the danger. And Shinra, we are friends Shizu-chan, but what do you think Celty will do if she knows I’m a potential threat to him?” 

… 

He understood. Shizuo understood what the flea was trying to tell him. “No one will be crazy like you and want to stick together with me, so if you want to go down there you either do it alone or keep your mouth shut.” 

And then the flea suddenly paused, paused as though he had come to another realization. 

A bitter smile spread across his expression as he shook his head. 

“What am I even saying,” he mumbled, “maybe that's your chance.” 

Confused the blond frowned- okay now he had lost track of what the flea was trying to say. 

“What is?” he already didn't like the expression Izaya was wearing. Made him think that he was coming up with bullshit again. 

“You should go there. Without me. Shinra is not anyone, you can stay with them and then-” but the flea didn't get to finish this useless rant of nonsense as the blond pulled him close- pulled him in and not only that. Before he knew it he found a pair of lips press against his own. Izaya expected the kiss to be desperate- but no instead it was just warm- gentle, assuring. 

Shizu-chan´s eyes were nowhere else but on him as he cupped his cheeks. 

“No way.” It took the raven a second to connect the blond´s words to what he said earlier. 

“... are you sure you know what you are doing?” the raven mumbled, although he already had a feeling he knew the blond´s answer. 

“Accept it once and for all. If we are going anywhere then together.” Of course. The raven sighed. 

Honestly- he didn't quite get why the blond was willing to go this far for him. 

Letting his forehead connect with the blond´s the raven sighed. 

“Okay.” And this time it really felt as though it was a final decision. No more shoving Shizu-chan away. It had proved to be useless anyway. 

And so the two got up from the ground.  The pile of rubbish consisted of broken walls, dead people- from the overall looks of their surroundings this part of the city used to be a shopping district Izaya supposed. 

Stones rolled, broken objects protested as they were stepped upon. The suspicious sounds of course didn't go by unnoticed. 

Seeing the blonde woman snap her head around first they found themselves being greeted by a harsh- 

“Who is there?!” Freezing in their motion they all stopped- Shinra, Vorona, Celty as well as Izaya and Shizuo. 

For a moment the raven was almost convinced they were going to die right then and there because the woman already had dropped the box she had been carrying and pulled out a gun- ready to shoot- and Izaya wasn't quite sure she would not shoot the raven once she realized he was no zombie yet either. 

Izaya was tense, about to back off again- but then his friend unfroze. 

“Izaya-” Shinra´s expression was blank yet filled with astonishment as the raven waved at him. 

“Hey Shinra.” 

“Heiwajima-senpai!” The blonde woman had finally lowered her gun as her attention had turned towards Shizu-chan who was standing next to the raven just as motionless as him. 

“No way!” 

“Izaya-” 

“And Shizu shizu!”

Karisawa, Yumasaki, Kadota, they all stopped within their motions or whatever actions they had been executing. 

Unfreezing finally Izaya walked forward. 

“Nice to see you are alive.” 

Only barely he caught the glimpse of a shadow that just barely grazed past Izaya and right towards the blond. 

“What-” before the blond knew it he had a certain old friend dangling from his neck and a PDA shoved in his face. 

(I thought you were dead! What happened?! How did you survive?! Why are you with Izaya?!) Before the blond was even able to entirely read the sentences she had typed her fingers already flea across the keyboard once more. (Where have you been?! Are you alright?!) Putting his hand on the PDA the blond couldn't help but smile at the way Celty behaced. 

“I'm fine Celty.” 

“Izaya?” Surprised the raven turned his glance away from the lovely reunion of Shizu-chan and his old friend as a pretty damn familiar voice reached his ears. “Too bad, I thought you already dropped dead.”

It was Namie- Yagiri Namie. Blinking surprised the raven tried to make sense of her appearance. 

“So did I,” he mumbled perplex, “What about the pharmaceutical´s announcement of your death?” He had listened to the recordings till his laptops battery gave out- and that lasted a pretty long time. He was pretty sure he memorized every shred of information they announced- and Namie´s death was certainly one of them. 

"That obviously was a lie. I went into quarantine on my own wish to research this virus. It just so happened that everyone died and I was the only left." Of course- 

Shaking his head the raven was left to do nothing but grin at the turn of events- so that woman and him had both been researching the virus and tried to develop something that could fight it. 

It was then that a pair of arms wrapping around his neck snapped the raven out of his thoughts and back to a very surprising reality- 

“Shinra?” 

"I have certainly never been so glad to see your face!” the doctor was laughing a huge smile spread across his features as he smiled at the raven. “When you last called me and didn't respond I thought one of the zombies got you!” 

Right- 

Thinking about it- the last time he had any contact with the doctor was back at his apartment when Shiki turned into a zombie and Izaya had to fight him off. 

Shinra´s rambling had delivered the incredibly precious information of the monsters being blind. “Well not wrong, one of the creatures was attacking me at that moment. But I'm not this easy to get rid of.” Izaya could feel the brunette literally freeze up at his description. And then he just whispered. 

“I'm glad you are okay.” 

It was- unexpected. Usually their conversations were just dripping with sarcasm and implications to hear it this direct and honestly from the doctor made the raven swallow hard. 

“Shinra what got into you? Didn't know you cared that much about me,” he chuckled, returning that hug softly. 

“Are you kidding? That guy left notes for you everywhere and kept rambling about what kind of places your sorry ass would go to.” Namie suddenly announced all too sensitive with one of those annoyed roll of eyes of hers. “Once we got surprised by a group of zombies in a hospital and barely managed to lock them up in a room- and that guy had the nerve to stay behind and write a bloody warning on that damn door.” 

A warning on a door leading to a room filled with zombies in a hospital.    
“Hey Izaya-” the setting wasn't only familiar to Shizu-chan. 

“Wait, you didn't happen to write  _ dead inside _ on that door did you?” the raven questioned making the doctor look at him as though he was deer that had ran into headlights. 

“I told you he would go there!” he suddenly announced and that roll of eyes on Namie´s part was repeated once more. 

“Okay, lovely reunion, but I think you are forgetting our goal here,” the woman suddenly announced, walking over to grab the hem of Shinra´s lab coat as she dragged him off the raven. 

“How can you be so heartless Namie-sannn~” the doctor whined. 

“Goal?” Izaya questioned, with the hint of a grin as he watched the brunette being dragged away. 

“We are searching for my brother, I still have Seiji´s last coordinates, he can't be too far,” the woman announced simply, checking some kind of device she was carrying around.    
“You are just as obsessed of your brother as Shinra was of Izaya,” Karisawa pointed out, only causing a frown to appear on the woman's face. 

“Don't compare me to that waste of humanity.” 

“Seiji…?” 

Softly. Quiet. 

The whisper had dropped from Shizu-chan´s lips. Letting go of the blond Celty looked at him, seemingly noticing that something was off. 

Izaya had heard the whisper from the blond as well. 

Yeah. 

The smile he had been wearing had dropped of his face the moment she mentioned her brother. 

Seiji. 

Fuck. Shizuo knew it, only barely he could remember the raven saying his name. That guy´s- the one that was carrying the head of a woman, covered in bite marks.

That- it was the guy they met at the gas station. 

The guy that had sawn off a girls head. 

“Anyway, hurry up! He can't be too far!” again the woman announced these words and the blond felt his guts churn at how dedicated she was to find him- to find her brother. 

It reminded him way too much of himself and how he had searched for Kasuka. 

He needed to tell her- but he didn't know how- 

But Izaya seemed to know just the way. 

"Seiji is dead." Izaya said it, cold just like that. 

The words just dropped off his lips as though he had just announced the weather forecast. 

"Izaya-" Shizuo started although he wasn't quite sure what to say- because- how? How even? What was the best way to tell someone their beloved had already died? 

Blank faces met the blond´s before turning to look at the woman. 

She had frozen. Looked at Izaya as though he had just started to fly. 

"... w-what do you mean he is dead?" 

And all of a sudden the flea´s expression changed, warped into one of those annoying smirks he used to wear on their chases through Ikebukuro. 

"I stabbed him with a knife! Tilted over like a sack potatoes~" 

Shizuo didn't know what was going on, why Izaya was so devious to them why he had to put it that way- and Namie certainly didn't either as her expression churned- churned into something so violent, so- 

And suddenly she had one of the guns at hand- instinctively without even thinking about it the blond moved in front of the flea at the same time instance as the woman faced him with ferocious eyes. 

"GET AWAY! I WANT TO MURDER THIS SHITTY ASSHOLE!" Shocked faces were drawn to the brunette-

“Namie-san!” Karisawa, was the one who was calling her dropping a box she had just been picking up from the ground as she hurried towards the crazy woman. Vorona who was standing practically next to her was not doing anything on the other hand. 

A deep glare settled on her expression that offered nothing but disgust for the raven she glowered at Izaya. 

“You asshole.” 

“Hey, stop!” A hand was grasping Namie´s pushing her hand down to stop aiming at the raven- and subsequently the blond that had moved in front of him. It was Kadota. 

Shizuo understood, understood the woman´s pain, but even if the flea had put his words more than just shitty, that was no reason to murder him! 

"It's not Izaya´s fault, he was bitten!” he announced, barked, loudly so the woman would get a grip on himself. But all hope was lost it seemed. 

"WE COULD HAVE SAVED HIM MAYBE!" the woman was out of her mind. Tears were dripping from hatred filled eyes, a hand used to shove Kadota away and aim at the two once more. 

"I will kill you Izaya. I will kill you!" and yet she didn't shoot- couldn´t- because despite her loss of sanity she seemed to be hesitant to kill the blond along with the flea. Kadota was approaching her again, but this time she was smarter, aiming the gun towards the man for just a moment as she barked. 

“If you come closer you can gladly go first!” Kadota wasn't willing to risk as much, his hands up in the air as he tried to somehow deescalate the situation. 

“Move!” again the woman was barking. And honestly speaking by now she pissed the blond off. 

“I won't.” 

He had told her. He had told her, her brother had been bitten- so what the hell was she doing now? 

Feeling the raven shift behind his back the blond´s arm was quicker to react than the raven as he grabbed his arm. 

“Don't you dare,” he didn't even need to finish his sentence for the raven to understand. 

“I didn't really plan for you to get shot today Shizu-chan,” the raven hissed, and he actually sounded mad. Why was he mad at the blond? Seriously- Shizuo thought he had understood the flea, but it seemed he was wrong. 

“Guess she has to do just that because I won't budge and neither will you.” 

 

**to be continued~**

**Ohohohoho some people were asking whether Shizuo and Izaya were gonna meet some other people again- well there you have your answer xD Yes, oh yes xD They are meeting people xD And I can already tell you these won´t be the last they meet in this story C: I just made them love each other before dropping them into the confusing mix of social interactions xD besides -coughs- having sex is kinda easier when no one is around- coughs- x’DDDDDDDDDD**

**Anyway~ lol Namie, what will you do? xD how will this turn out? xD well we will see on May the 9th~!**

 


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